Attack on Titan: Left Behind
by Forschia
Summary: The bravest soldiers of mankind in Survey Corps have no stories with happy endings. Even so, for them, life isn't all hellfire and agony; it's not always butterflies and rainbows either. They live a life of never-ending fights, bearing humanity's hope of freedom on their damaged backs, and the torment to be left behind in this cruel world inside their broken hearts. [LevixOC]
1. Prologue

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Prologue**

**-Year 850-**

_"Captain! Captain Levi! Look at this!"_

_"Unlike me, your life has more value to humanity than mine."_

_"Captain Levi, you're nothing like I've heard from people. Deep inside, you're a good man and a very kind-hearted person…"_

_"I'm here, Captain. I will always fight by your side."_

_"You didn't look so scary when you smile. You should smile more often, Captain."_

_"Captain, you're…sad, right? You lost your squad again…"_

_"You're a poor thing…to live in this never ending nightmares all by yourself."_

_"I know. We, Survey Corps, fight for the sake of humanity, but I care more about you than humanity's welfare."_

_"Captain Levi! I… I love you! And I'm not wasting another seconds in my short life denying that!"_

_"Captain… You have lost too much, right? In that case, I will give something for you..."_

_"Tell me, all the terrible things you did. I still love you anyway."_

_"Someday, you and I, we will have a journey to the outside world together, right, Levi?"_

_"Levi… Live… Continue to live, do it for me… Because, I... I can't do it anymore…"_

* * *

Levi woke with a start. He sat on his bed, panting heavily like something had hit him in the chest. His clothes were soaking wet as if he had just finished fighting against hundred titans.

He closed his eyes, pressing his palms to his face, trying to contain himself. But no matter how hard he tried to shake them off, the images kept flashing in his mind.

And all he saw was her, smiling at him.

_It was just a dream…_

It felt so real to him.

_It was just a dream._

He could have sworn that she had been there. Very close to him. He still could hear her voice, gentle and cheery...

_Damn it! It's nothing but a fucking dream!_

At last, everything calmed down. Her voice was gone. Her smiling face faded away into nothing. His breath was getting more stable.

He wiped the sweat on his forehead and opened his eyes, looking around him.

It was already daybreak. The weak beam of sunshine illuminated the small and shadowy bedroom through a tiny gap between the curtains.

Levi lay down again on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, remembering where he was at the moment.

_It's always like this, isn't it?_

He was in a small shack located in a remote area, deep in a mountain. Before finally getting the official permission from Commander Erwin Smith, he had acted on his own discretion in advance to recruit soldiers for his Special Operation Squad with members of the 104th Trainee Squad when the Commander was out of commission due to injury. The exclusive squad built for the sole reason to protect Eren Jaeger and Historia Reiss. New squad, because his former team members were no longer around. Dead.

_New recruits. New squad. Deaths._

_New recruits. New squad. Deaths._

_A devil's cycle without an end…_

A series of screams came from downstairs, like some people having a heat altercation. He could hear Connie Springer yelled, "What has gotten into you, Sasha?! Don't you have any shame?!" followed by hysterical reply from Sasha Blouse, "What?! It was just a little bite!"

Then he couldn't tell who was yelling. Too many people were shouting at the same time.

Levi finally distinguished Eren's vague voice in the midst of clamor, it sounded like he was trying to put the situation under control, only to be harshly berated by Jean Kirschtein.

"Damn you, suicidal bastard!" said Jean's voice, sounding totally enraged. "I already told you! This damn Potato Girl can't be trusted with the supplies room key! Why the hell did you give it to her?! You idiot son of a—"

Then his voice was no longer audible. Probably Mikasa Ackerman kicked his stomach for insulting Eren, but whatever was causing Jean to abruptly shut his foul mouth, it didn't stop the others from quarreling. It just went more hostile, with more swearing and shouting, and then there was a loud thud like something, or someone, fell on the floor.

_They are too damn noisy._

Usually, Levi couldn't stand this eardrum-ripping situation. He could have just went downstairs and kick everyone's ass.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel any desire to do it. The clamor didn't bother him in the slightest. He just stared at the ceiling, unwilling to move even an inch. Come to think of it, this was the first time he lived again with so many people, after what tragically happened to his previous squad members… And also the previous squad before them…

He listened attentively, enjoying every part of the outcries from his new subordinates, much to his surprise. Their voices, very disturbing and irritating, yes, but somehow, it gave him a very nostalgic feeling. A poignant reminder about something he had experienced before. Slowly closing his eyes, he reminisced the past, remembering every remnants of memories in his life… Fond memories, yet very hurtful and agonizing, but he just couldn't forget about them…

Suddenly, a soft knock came from his bedroom's door, interrupting his reverie.

"Come in."

The door squeaked open and Armin Arlert stood at the rear of the door. He quietly entered the room and saluted with tremble.

"What is it, Armin?" asked Levi, glancing at him.

"Captain, I'm sorry, sir, we're disturbing you, with the commotion downstairs…" said Armin, his voice quivering. "The problem is, Sasha, sir, she, uh… She accidentally ate half of our food supplies. So, then, we're kind of running out of food… And, we cannot make a proper breakfast, sir, so…"

Armin's voice vanished, his face looked so hopeless as if he was going to be eaten alive by a titan.

"Accidentally, huh?" Levi scoffed. He knew that Sasha was so well known as a food hoarder. "Just make anything edible from whatever left in the kitchen for breakfast. Until the next provisions arrive, make food ration for each person but cut half from Sasha's, and don't ever let her hang around near the supplies room ever again."

Armin blinked in surprise. "Is that all, sir?"

Levi stared at the ceiling again. "Yes. What else do you expect?"

"N-nothing, sir!" Armin answered with relief. "The breakfast will be ready in an hour! Thank you, sir!" He saluted and hurriedly closed the door.

Soon after Armin left his bedroom, the voices from downstairs disappeared. Levi thought that maybe his subordinates were afraid of him rampaging to them in wrath—because of what Sasha had done—so they started arguing with each other.

But at this time, he didn't even have energy to get mad.

He sat at the edge of the bed, pulling out a necklace behind his collar. No one ever knew he always wear the necklace; it was usually hidden behind his cravat. But instead of a pendant, there was a dull silver ring hanging on the necklace. He twiddled the ring carefully between his thumb and index finger before placing it on his palm.

"Why?" Levi whispered to himself. "Of all time, why now? Why am I remembering you now, Alex?"

He stared fondly at the ring, and a tear trickled down his face.

* * *

**Revamped: 3/2/16**


	2. Chapter 1

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 1**

**-Year 845 before the Fall of Wall Maria, night of 99th Trainee Squad inauguration to Survey Corps-**

The night was bright with the moonlight shone, illuminating the dim field. Million stars twinkled idly, scattered and radiated the black vast sky. The freshly graduated cadets lined up in the middle of the field in front of the stage; their expressions showed determination and bravery. Passionate, eager young soldiers, who were ready to take the responsibility to bear the hope of mankind on their shoulders, overcame their own fears to make a decision of their lifetime: Joining the Survey Corps. All the elite senior members of the Survey Corps stood on the stage, attracting admiration and respect from the junior members as the strongest soldiers among the three military legions. The inauguration ceremony was about to end, with the Commander Keith Shadis—who was standing tall on the front part of the stage—gave his closing speech.

_Finally. I made it here._

"You are prepared to give your life as a spear of humanity! You are prepared to eliminate the threats of mankind! Give your every thing to fulfill your duty! Give your best to realize the hope, that one day, humanity will take back its freedom!"

_I'm ready to give everything in, for myself._

"Will your blood and flesh give benefit for mankind!? Will you willing to die if you're ordered to!? Make a choice from your own volition! Serve well for humanity and die an honorable death without regrets!"

_I will never regret this. I will never regret to die._

"I welcome everyone here, the courageous soldiers, to the Survey Corps! This is a genuine salute! I respect you for that from the bottom of my heart! Now! Offer up your hearts, Cadets! For the future that only belongs to mankind! For the glory of humanity!"

All the cadets banged their fists on their left chests and saluted the Commander.

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

* * *

**-Year 845, a day after 99th Trainee Squad Inauguration-**

A soldier rode his horse alone, breaking through the dense trees and bushes in the forest of southern side of Wall Maria. The wind blew strongly, brushing his short black hair, his Survey Corps cloak fluttered behind him. The sun shone right on top of his head. He pulled his hood on his head, trying to keep himself from the hot weather. He kept galloping his horse until he saw an old fortress between the towering trees.

At the mouth of the gate, a woman with glasses and brunette hair styled in short ponytail stood eagerly, as if she was waiting for him.

"Hey, Levi! You're late!" said Hange Zoe, her hands at her waist.

"You're too early," said Levi, pulling the rein of his horse and dismounting.

"You missed the inauguration last night," Hange reminded in disappointment.

"Would it really make any difference whether I came or not?" he said as he walked his horse to the stables while Hange was following him beside.

"From the point of view of your public relation, you should pay a little attention to your fans," she said cheerfully. "You know how young soldiers always idolize you. I believe they're dying to see you, and maybe dying to get you signed their jackets."

Thinking at the idea of bunch of brats surrounding him for an autograph, Levi scowled at her. "Tch. Like I care."

"Jeez, that is so cold."

When they reached the stables, their fellow soldier, Mike Zacharius, was there, filling buckets with water, one for his horse and the other for a brown stallion. He glanced to Levi and Hange as they approached him.

"Looks like someone left her horse to shrivel," said Mike.

"Aw! Thanks, Mike! That's so nice of you." Hange gave a friendly pat on his shoulder.

Mike sighed, throwing a disapproving look at her. "You pay more attention to titans than to your horse."

"She loves those monsters more than she loves herself," Levi corrected him.

"Hey, don't blame me. It's very hard to do everything when Moblit is not around," said Hange, gently patting her horse's mane as a form of apology. "You know, I'm delegating many of my tasks to him, including taking care of my horse."

"So where's your errand boy now?" asked Levi as he tied his black stallion's rein to the peg. "He usually tails you everywhere like a dog." .

"Still at Headquarter, cleaning my research equipments and trying to salvage anything left of my experiment reports beneath that rubbles…" Hange said with an ugly look on her face. "But still, I believe Military Police won't let him go anywhere near it before the investigation is over."

Levi quickly turned his head to her. "Those damn MPs still hanging out in our HQ?!" he said furiously. "What the hell are they doing?! And Keith is okay with that?"

"I don't know, but when Mike and I departed from HQ this morning, Keith was there," said Hange. "And he looked really pissed off, berating at those poor MPs. That man is really intimidating when he's angry."

"We cannot trust them with anything," said Levi harshly. "They might tampered or forged any evidences, or maybe just fooling around because they couldn't do their fucking job right." He always had a strong resentment toward the so-called most prestigious military branch, because for him, they were just a bunch corrupted, lazy ass pig, unworthy soldiers who always hiding in the interior.

"The upcoming expedition is in few days, our hands are really tight here," said Mike in his casual tone. "Like it or not, we need their help."

"Those idiot MPs," Levi continued, pouring a bucket of water for his horse, "it's been three damn weeks and they still have no fucking clues why half of our HQ suddenly crumbled into pieces. How wonderful."

"Stop complaining, Levi. It can't be helped, what happened, happened. We were lucky enough that building didn't collapse on our head," said Hange, who was looking equally upset. "But at least we got a replacement," she added, obviously trying to be positive with the unfortunate situation.

The three of them walked to the castle, and Levi's mood dropped to level minus one thousand when he saw the ancient-looking castle. It was huge, but very shabby and unkempt, with the roofs missing here and there, some broken windows, and very moldy wooden gateway. Fallen dry leaves from the trees covered the stone path to the main gate. The gray brick wall cracked in many places, with the vines of bittersweet nightshade climbing from the ground—covering most of the lower wall of the castle—and moss hanging abundantly from the rooftop. Also, there was a very big hole at the bottom watchtower, which made an impression that the tower could crumble in any time. In short, Heubach Castle was definitely the worst place to live in by the standard of human rights.

"Remind me why Keith insisted us to use this shitty castle," Levi grumbled, wincing at the unpleasant humid smell as they entered the main hall of the castle.

"Well, this former Headquarter is the best place we can use for now. Big enough to store our resources for the next expedition, close to Shiganshina District, and has enough rooms to accommodate the new recruits," said Hange, who didn't seem bothered by the squalor. "Good thing we have them to clean this place up."

"So, how many cadets crazy enough to join us this year?" Levi asked her.

"Not too many... Of course, given our grim reputation, but we get better recruits." Hange smiled in excitement. "Five of top ten graduates from southern division trainees joined us. That's good news."

"Quality over quantity," said Mike firmly, sniffing the air. "I could smell potential in them."

"I highly doubt that. Rookies are usually good for nothing," said Levi flatly.

They continued walking across the main hall, where Levi's furrow deepened as he saw the hall was not properly cleaned, toward the big staircase that led to the upper floor. But Levi suddenly halted his steps, turning his head to the dining hall, where many new cadets were busy cleaning it.

"Good for nothing…like them." He scowled.

"Hey, Levi, just leave them alone!" Hange tried to stop him but Levi already made his way into the dining hall. "Oh, damn it…" she muttered.

"Here we go again," said Mike, crossing his arms.

All the cadets were finished with cleaning the dining hall and preparing to leave, when they suddenly noticed Levi had just walked in. They stared at him in awe. Some of them even dropped the equipments they held because they lost in amazement of seeing the humanity's strongest soldier.

"Captain Levi, Sir!" All the new cadets saluted him.

But Levi didn't even bother to look at them, or even replied the salute; his eyes still meticulously scanned the hall. Whispers and small chatters rose in the room, coming from the cadets that still staring at Levi with sparkling eyes.

At the far back of the hall, a black-haired soldier whispered to the blond girl beside him. "Is that really Captain Levi?"

"Yes, Emory, that's him!" The blonde girl whispered back, sounding very convinced. "Humanity's Strongest Soldier, the real deal!"

"Wow! Awesome!" The boy named Emory widened his eyes in admiration at Levi.

"Are you sure, Sophie? He's nothing like I imagined," said the tallest, dark brown-haired boy behind Emory. "For instance, he's so short."

"Sssh! Don't talk like that, Kenneth! He'll kill you if he hears you!" whispered the blond boy beside Kenneth.

Levi was utterly dissatisfied with the awful level of cleaning. The hall was still a mess; grime covered most of the floor and some spider webs still hung at the corner of the ceiling and at the chandelier. He walked to the cupboard and wiped a thick layer of dust from the top of it with his fingers.

"Oi! You call this cleaning?!" Levi snarled, facing all the cadets. "Redo the whole thing!"

"What the hell!?" Kenneth shouted spontaneously, striding out of the . "What are you talking—"

Before Kenneth could do anything reckless that might cost him his life, the blond boy behind him quickly pulled him back.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" the blond boy hissed, trapping Kenneth in a stranglehold.

Kenneth tried to retaliate. "Gerard! Get your hands off—hmph!—"

The boy named Gerard already clamped his hand over Kenneth's mouth. "Shut the hell up, you dumbass!" he whispered angrily. "Do you want to kill yourself?!"

Levi glared at them. "What did you just say, cadet?" he asked in low voice, but the sudden silence in the hall made it as if he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I'm sorry, sir. Very sorry. Don't mind him. Please, just don't mind him," said Gerard tremulously to Levi, who was still glaring at them. "He didn't mean it, it's just the exhaustion talking. Please don't take it seriously."

If only a glare could kill, then both of them would already be in kingdom come.

Levi shifted his gaze from them, still feeling irritated, and continued to scan the untidiness in the hall. "Clean the entire first floor again from scratch," he said. "And I do mean the _entire first floor_. When I come back I want it all to be spotless, with no dust left behind." He glared to all the cadets, who looked very stunned by this new command. "And yes, that is an order! Do I make myself clear?!" he yelled.

"Sir, yes, sir!" All cadets answered in unison and saluted.

"Then start to work! Now!" Levi walked out of the dining hall, back to where Mike and Hange stood with impatient looks on their faces, and cleaned his fingers with his handkerchief. "Tch. Idiots..."

"Jeez. What a clean freak with annoying habit," Hange commented. "And that's how you successfully crushed the hope of your fans club."

"Shut your mouth, you titan-obsessed freak," said Levi coldly.

"Will you take it easy on them? They're not trained to be maid," Mike complained.

Levi frowned. "They are not even worth to be here if they can't keep this place clean. We can't bear to stay in this sea of dust castle."

"And by 'we' you mean '_you_'," said Hange, pointing out the obvious.

Levi glared at her. Hange turned her head away, pretending she didn't see Levi's almost audible glare.

They walked up the staircase, heading to the meeting room on the second floor, and Levi let out a long sigh of frustration as he saw the corridor. It was a complete mess of hell with accumulated thick layer of dust sticking everywhere, spider webs hung between the huge pillars like thick white blankets, and garbage strewn along the way. At the end of the corridor, the meeting room's door was wide opened, and there were a bucket and mop in front of it. Levi narrowed his eyes, readying himself to berate anyone in that room for letting this immensely filthy condition untouched.

"Fucking stupid cadets... I'm gonna kill them!" He growled and sprinted faster to the open door, before Mike and Hange could stop him.

Levi was about to shout, but stopped. In contrast the corridor, the meeting room was totally clean and neat. The oval table and chairs had been arranged so neatly in the middle of the big room, complete with a fresh linen tablecloth. The floor had been mopped, so sparkling, that Levi could even see his reflection on the marble tiles. He wiped his fingers behind the bookshelf; he was impressed with the fact that there was no specks of dust left. He looked around and noticed there was only one person in the room.

A girl in military uniform stood near the open window, holding a handful of flowers. She was humming cheerful melodies while arranging the flowers into the vase on the side table and seemed unaware of his presence.

"Nicely done," said Levi with a light tone of satisfaction.

The girl stopped humming and turned around, looking very shocked to see him. "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't see you coming!" She quickly did a salute.

Levi looked at her briefly. She was petite, slightly shorter than him. Her middle length auburn hair tied in ponytail with small curls at the end, with her bangs messily covered her forehead and framed her pale face. She had a round, bright hazel eyes that made her look like a little child. Her physique was definitely not something to be expected from a soldier: small and slender without too much muscle bulging. She looked so frail and without the military uniform, Levi would never know that she was a soldier.

"You cleaned this room alone?" Levi asked as he inspected the chandelier, which had been polished until shiny.

"Yes, sir, I did. I thought it would be better to clean this room first, since Commander Keith will hold a meeting this noon," she said. "The others insisted to follow the instruction and clean the first floor, so I have to do it myself."

"Woah! This room is pretty nice!" Hange complimented as she walked in with Mike. She looked at the girl and smile, pointing the vase filled with colorful anemones. "Ah, you even made some decorations."

"I picked these flowers from the yard," said the girl, arranging the last stalk of anemone into the vase. "I know we only stay here for few days before the expedition, but this room is so dull. I think flowers will lighten up the atmosphere a little bit. Don't you think so?"

"That sure looks great," said Hange as she hung her Survey Corps cloak. "I never see you before, new recruits?"

The girl saluted. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm from the 99th Trainee Squads."

Hange sat on the chair. "Ah, I see. At ease, Cadet. I'm Hange Zoe. The leader of the fourth squad," she said friendly.

"Yes, Ma'am, I know you," said the girl, nodding. "I saw you at the inauguration. And you, sir, you must be Squad Leader Mike Zach—"

The girl stopped dead, catching a breath with a frightened look on her face when Mike marched at her and sniffed her head.

"Um, sir…" said the girl quietly, taking a few steps back as Mike grasped a strand of her hair and sniffed it repeatedly. "What are you…doing, exactly?"

Mike only smiled and stepped away from her. He hung his green cloak and sat on the chair, leaving the girl staring at him with confused expression.

"Relax, cadet, it's just his usual way to say 'hi, nice to meet you' to new people." Hange waved her hand carelessly, though the girl still looked highly startled.

"Oh...okay..." the girl said, glancing at Levi, who was inspecting an old knight armor without a blink. "Um, and that's..." She looked at Hange again. "I don't know who is that..."

"Oh, that grumpy shorty who's assessing your work is Levi," said Hange.

The girl gasped in shock. "Captain Levi? The Humanity's Strongest Soldier?"

Hange nodded. "Yup, and an obsessive clean freak."

"He...what?" The girl raised an eyebrow.

"You could say he had some screws loose in his head because of an accident and since then, his subconscious told him to get rid of all filthiness in this world." Hange explained in dramatic way of speaking, and the petite girl looked even more bewildered than before.

"Oi! Enough of your nonsense, shitty four eyes," said Levi rudely, who had finished with inspecting every nook and cranny of the room.

Hange chuckled gleefully. "Don't be cross, I'm just telling the truth!"

Levi cast a threatening look at Hange before looking at the girl. "Your name, Cadet?" he asked, walking closer to her.

"Alex, sir, Alexandra Ritter," said the girl.

Levi put his hands on her shoulders and stared deeply into her hazel eyes. "Rookie, you are a prodigy," he said with utmost sincerity. "Your cleaning skill is remarkable. Every nook and cranny is spotlessly clean."

Still wearing a bewildered expression on her face, Alex seemed unsure how to react with his praise. "Umm…okay... Thank you, sir… I guess."

"I'm the one who should say thank you for your incredible work," said Levi, quite honestly. He had thought he must spent hours locking up in filth for the meeting. "Now, help your incompetent comrades in the dining hall. Those idiots don't even know how to sweep the floor properly."

"Yes, sir. Right away." Alex turned around, grabbed all the cleaning equipments and left the room.

Hange whistled, looking at Levi. "It's rare for you to acknowledge other's cleaning."

"I appreciate individual who works hard." Levi hung his cloak then sat down on the chair next to Hange. "At least, we have one tiny space without dust in this hell..."

"Finally you met someone who shared the same quirky passion with you. I'm so glad for you," said Hange seriously.

"She smelled alluring," said Mike serenely, rubbing his nose.

"Err… Mike, if you say it that way, it sounds really creepy," said Hange, wincing at him.

"That's what I sensed," said Mike, looking very pleased. "Her scent is so different… It's like a fresh breeze in the dewy morning. I never met someone with that kind of scent before."

"Jeez. Your nose is so creepy." Hange shook her head and took off her glasses. "I'm surrounded with freaks."

"That's including yourself," said Levi sharply to her. "Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately? Your head is the most fucked up in the whole military."

"Well, the last time I checked, my brain was still in its place. Thank you for asking," said Hange airily. She rolled her eyes to the empty chairs in the room. "So I presume the others will be late…"

"It's a long way from the Headquarter to here, and they must be quite busy with the reports from Military Police," said Mike.

They waited for more than an hour. Levi idly propped his chin on his palm, extremely bored with the long wait. Hange already fell asleep, burying her head in her arms on the table and snoring. Mike closed his eyes and tapped his foot repeatedly on the floor. All of sudden, he stood up and looked at the window.

"They're coming." Mike informed. He sniffed the air and sat down on chair. "All of them."

"Tch. They're so damn late," Levi grumbled, shaking Hange's shoulder. "Oi, wake up four eyes."

Hange opened her eyes and yawned. "Is…it…the time…?" she asked, sluggishly.

"They're just entering the building," said Mike, sniffing again.

"I hope this meeting will be quick." Hange quickly sat up straight and stretched her arms. "Damn, I'm so sleepy..."

"Stay late last night?" Mike asked her, noticing the dark shades under her eyes.

"Yeah, just like any other nights. Too many laborious paper works. I really need another assistant," she said with tiresome tone, rubbing her eyes then putting on her glasses. "And too many thoughts on my mind too…"

"If you're still dreaming about getting laid with a titan, just stop, it won't happen," said Levi with a deadpan expression.

"Oh yeah! If only I could bring them inside the walls and chain them in my bed, that would be the first thing I do," said Hange, grinning at Levi. "Their lack of external hardware won't stop me though, if you know what I mean," she added quickly, riposting his vulgar joke right at him.

"Tch. Tell me again why we even know each other…" Levi turned his head away from her, feeling disgusted with what she had said.

Soon after that, the rest of high rank officers of the Survey Corps entered the meeting room. Among them was Erwin Smith, the Second-in-Command of Survey Corps and Commander Keith's most trusted soldier. Erwin glanced at Levi, who looked back at him with a nod.

"What's the hold up?" Mike asked to Erwin, who sat beside him.

"Nothing too urgent, just some additional reports of the investigation from the sudden collapsed of our HQ," said Erwin. "The higher ups spent the whole morning to conduct more thorough inspection."

"Not them, I'm asking about _you,_" said Mike, staring suspiciously at Erwin. "Don't lie to me, Erwin. The destruction of HQ is their responsibility but you won't waste your time on frivolous thing like that." Had been working together for years, Mike had known too well to tell that Erwin would never be late to a meeting, unless he had another crucial thing to do that caught his interest. "You were doing something else. I smelled excitement all over you."

"Your nose is really good in sniffing someone else's private matters like this," said Erwin, an impressed look escaped from his calm and collected expression.

"I'm very sorry to make you waiting." Keith Shadis, the Commander of Survey Corps, was the last person who entered the room. He took a seat, cleared his throat and officially started the meeting. "Now, the meeting for the 29th Expedition beyond the wall begins. We'll start with the report from the medic and corpsman division. Nanaba, please present your division preparation."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." A woman with short blond hair stood up and read her reports.

Levi leaned his back against the chair and folded his arms. He never really paid attention with whatever was happening in the meeting. He usually only observed and listened, without taking too much part of talking and questioning. Although he didn't get along too well with his other superiors and comrades because of his unimaginably abrasive personality, he still respected them, enough respect to make him follow the chain of commands. Levi had a great trust for his comrades, especially Erwin, and never bothered to ask the man's judgment because he believed that Erwin always had a good reasoning. It was only because Erwin directly asked him to come that he agreed to patiently sit on his chair through the whole boring meeting. And that was why, after two hours straight of presentations, arguments, debate and discussion for solutions, Levi found himself more interested in his fingernails than the presentation of the squad placement for Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation.

Standing in front of the large paper drawn with the scouting formation, which was nailed to the wall, Erwin once again proved that he was a very superb specialist in making strategy.

"With this squad deployment, I divided our forces' combat strength equally between the left and right flank of enemy detection squad," said Erwin, tapping each of the outer half-round formation with a ruler. "While the middle flank lacks of combatant soldier, this is our best course of action to prevent any destructions to our formation. My goal is the enemy can not break through our outer layer defense, and thus, this placement will protect our entire brigade."

"Fascinating. Thank you, Erwin. Brilliant idea as always," said Keith solemnly with a great feeling of pride and satisfaction, as Erwin nodded and returned to his seat.

"As you all already know, this expedition has one sole objective: to build a resupply station at the old fortress of Rotwand Hill," said Keith, addressing to all the soldiers around the table. "If we can secure this location, we can take one step forward to our next objective. However, based on the reports from our last expedition, this area is well known for its inhabitant of Deviant type titans. Not to mention the rugged terrain we must conquer. The hill is surrounded with heavy forests, open hills with grasslands, and steep precipices. This is going to be an arduous expedition, even harder than the previous one. But I think we get a shot. I'm confidence with our capability and proper preparation. Thank you for all your hard work." Keith looked briefly to each one of his subordinates. "If there's no more question, I conclude our meeting—"

"Please, hold it, Commander," Erwin interrupted and raised his hand. "There's one more thing I would like to propose for our squad personnel."

Keith looked at him and nodded. "Proceed."

Erwin cleared his throat, making sure he had all their attention. "There is a cadet that I will recommend to join our expedition."

Levi immediately tore his gaze from his fingernails and fixed his eyes on Erwin, trying to contemplate the meaning behind his proposal.

There was a short moment where everyone silently stared at Erwin, and then, like noisy buzz of bumblebees, the meeting room filled with clamor of protests.

"Wait a minute, Erwin. Isn't this too early for cadets to take part?" Nanaba cut in. "They just became official members last night."

"Are you out of your mind!?" said one of Team Leaders.

"You can't be serious, Erwin!"

"A cadet? Have you gone mad?!"

"So this is what you are up to. I'm surprised," Mike muttered to Erwin. "Even I didn't see it coming."

"That's preposterous. I thought you weren't insane anymore," said Hange, evidently doubting if Erwin still had a sense of thinking straight. "It will be like putting a death sentence to an inmate!"

"Silence!" Keith ordered, and the room was quiet at once."Your proposal is too rash, Erwin," he said, looking very concerned with this unusual demand. "We usually don't include fresh graduates for expedition this sudden. They need to undergo more training before go beyond the wall. A month of intensive training, at least."

Maintaining his usual calm demeanor, Erwin was completely unperturbed by the harsh reactions from the others. "I guarantee I don't make any blunders regarding this matter, Commander. I'm making this request with thorough consideration," he said politely to Keith, who still gave him a distrust stare.

"Tch. Rookies are always the first to die. Do you want to give those titans extra little snacks? What happened with human preservation?" said Levi scathingly. It was very rare of him to defy Erwin, but as much as he valued Erwin's decision, the idea of intentionally risking the life of an amateur made him distraught. It reminded him of what had happened during his first expedition…

Erwin turned his head to Levi, astonished with this unexpected reaction but he quickly regained his cool.

"But this one is an exception," said Erwin. "I talked with the instructors from the academy this morning. They highly praised this cadet's skill and aptitude on battlefield. They said we are very lucky she joined Survey Corps and she will be a great asset for us."

Levi squinted his eyes as he heard Erwin's last sentence. "She?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the main yard, all the new cadets of Survey Corps were taking a break after cleaning the entire first floor of Heubach Castle. They were extremely exhausted, not expecting that their first day as scouts would include becoming occasional labor workers. At the small, obsolete bench near the corner of the yard, four new cadets were resting; three were sitting on the bench while one was lying on the ground. Judging from the depressed looks on their tired faces, their dirty and messy appearances, plus their lassitude, it was safe to assume that they had experienced something so terrible like never before in their lifetime.

"God damn it! My back is really hurt!" said Gerard loudly, sprawling on the grass. "I spent three years of military training to scrub mucky tiles for three hours straight… Argh! Damn it! Even the drills at academy were much better than this!"

"I swear if I ever see dust again I can have a panic attack. Or nightmare." Emory slouched on the bench, rubbing his temples. "This is a mentally exhausting…"

"For fuck's sake! I'm here to kill titans, not doing bunch of housewife works!" Kenneth spat angrily beside Emory, clenching his palm. "Why the hell is this happening?!"

"Well, Survey Corps is always having problems with human resources, constant shortage of personnel and soldier. This is just an implication of the circumstances." Emory tapped on Kenneth's shoulder, as if trying to draw a plausible explanation would calm him down. "This is inevitable. Just accept it."

Kenneth gave him an upset look. "But not exploiting new recruits like this! I didn't sign up for this shit!"

"No one expecting this. Just deal with it," Emory coolly reprimanded. "Are you alright, Sophie? You don't look so good…" he asked worryingly to the blond girl who was sitting in front of him.

Sophie folded her arms on the table and buried her head in it, didn't move from her seat since the break began. If it was not because of her slow and stable breathing, people would assume that she was already dead.

"Yeah, Sophie, you haven't say anything since you almost collapsed onto the bucket full of slop," said Gerard, glancing at her. "Something must be very wrong with you."

"I'm…okay…guys…" she muttered weakly. "I never done something like this in my whole life, so… I'm worn to a frazzle…" She seemed so languid and barely could hold a conversation.

"Thank goodness. Here comes the fateful day when you can finally shut up for a moment without teasing everyone around you." Kenneth smirked, undeniably very exhilarated to see her in such pathetic state.

"Give me a break, Kenneth…" she grumbled. "I'm feeling so lethargic right now…"

"Guys! Here is the water!" A petite girl approached them, holding a wooden crate. "And lunch." She put the crate on the table and handed out the food and water to her comrades, who quickly grabbed the provisions like starving refugees in camp.

"Oh God! Finally!" Sophie drank the water with pleasure.

"Just exactly what I needed!" Gerard got up and happily received a pouch of water, taking a seat beside Sophie. "Alex, you're really a goddess!"

"I'm a goddess because I brought you water and lunch?" said Alex.

"And for saving the day! You're the hero of the century," said Gerard, playfully pinching her cheek.

"Wow, I'm so flattered," said Alex flatly, slapping his hand away from her face.

"It's true. Thank you for your help," said Emory. "If you didn't come to help we would probably still do cleaning until dinner."

"That's not a big deal. This castle is very old, so the dust already became sticky and grime covered the entire floor. The trick is, you have to swamp the floor with the cleaning agent, wait for half an hour, gently scrub the floor and rinse the whole mess with clean water," Alex explained matter-of-factly as if that was a common knowledge for everyone, "and that's how you got a sparkling marble floor, as sparkling as new." She put the empty crate below the table and sat on the bench between Gerard and Sophie. "But I can't believe you guys still hadn't done it. You had all morning to clean the whole first floor."

"Blame that to Captain Levi!" said Sophie angrily. "He's really stern! He ordered us to redo all the cleaning!"

"Huh? Why?" asked Alex.

"Because Captain Levi was very, uh, demanding with cleaning issue," said Emory in low voice as if he was afraid the said person would overhear the conversation.

"He yelled at us, said we're idiots because the dining hall was not clean enough for him!" said Kenneth bitterly.

"The way he glared at us, I think it will haunt my sleep tonight…" Gerard grumbled. "Is it okay if I call him Humanity's Scariest Soldier?"

"He's the worst person with worst personality ever!" said Sophie, eating her sandwich with a pout.

"Really, guys?" said Alex, raising her eyebrow, didn't have any ideas in the slightest what they were talking about. "But I met him in the meeting room. He's kind of odd, but nice."

All her comrades immediately turned their heads to her and stared in bemusement at her innocent face. They couldn't believe their ears that anyone could talk something positive about that scary Captain of Survey Corps.

"What?" asked Alex, looking back at them in confusion.

"Alex… Are we talking the same person here?" asked Gerard, still making puzzled look on his face.

Alex drank water from her pouch, frowning at his question. "Captain Levi is the soldier with black hair, right? In my opinion, he's a nice person."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" said Kenneth in vexation. "Which part of that damn strict midget is nice?!"

"He complimented my cleaning and thanked me for that," said Alex, smiling thinly. "That was very nice of him."

Sophie giggled at Kenneth. "You can't even compete with her in simple thing like this."

"Cleaning is for sissy," said Kenneth in a horribly nasty tone, chewing on his sandwich.

"Say it to Captain Levi and see how you will end up, shithead!" Gerard replied in annoyance, throwing a rumpled brown paper bag at his head. "When you shouted at him in the dining hall, I bet he was ready to mince you into bit-sized and feed you to the titans!"

"Whatever. But still, cleaning is for sissy," said Kenneth in even nastier tone than before.

"You absolutely don't know when to shut your mouth. One day, you're gonna get killed because of that," Emory warned him. "Ever heard about chain of a command? An order is an order, so we have to do it."

Kenneth snorted, looking around incredulously. "Come on guys! I know he's an elite soldier with all bossy, infuriating superior attitude, but giving a ridiculous order to get rid of every single dust?! That's an abuse of power! That damn midget has a few loose screws in his head!"

Alex chuckled, remembering what Squad Leader Hange had said in the meeting room. "I guess he's always like that, so it can't be help."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sophie.

"Oh, it's just… Squad Leader Hange told me he always prefers his environment to be cleaned perfectly, but, well, it seems like he has certain higher standard than anyone else," said Alex, didn't want to bring up a fact that the humanity's most powerful soldier already had a deep obsession for cleanliness. That quirk wouldn't fit with his character, would it?

"For a selfish, nit-picky reason like that!?" Kenneth snapped. "No wonder he's such an asshole!"

Alex curled his lips in disagreement. "Just because he made you knelt on your feet and scrubbed the dirty floor, doesn't mean he's a jerk."

"Nah. You are on his side because he favored you," said Kenneth darkly.

"I'm not. Really, I got a feeling he's not a bad person," Alex insisted. In her eyes, Captain Levi was very intimidating with his cold stare and frown, but she didn't see any reasons to consider him as someone who would do bad things.

Kenneth scoffed, sparing a very ugly look to her. "He didn't shout at your face, did he? You missed the best moment to see what an asshole he was."

"No, he's not an asshole," said Alex, shaking her head. "He was mad because you couldn't get the job done."

"Oh, now you're saying you're the only who could done everything right?" said Kenneth, raising his voice.

Alex squeezed her pouch, getting really annoyed with him. "When did I say that? You always easily jump to ridiculous conclusion."

"That subtle haughtiness is implied in what you just said," Kenneth accused rudely.

"Did I really prick on your pride because I was stating the truth?" asked Alex coolly.

"The truth? Are you talking about how you always become the perfect midget soldier in every aspect, being idolized by everyone? Hell yeah you are!"

"That's not even close to what I'm talking about," said Alex, squinting her eyes at Kenneth. "You're really a dullard."

Kenneth glared at her. "You annoying dwarf! Are you picking a fight with me?!"

Gerard slammed his hand on the table. "For God's sake! Is this conversation going somewhere?!" he said, glancing wearily back and forth at Kenneth and Alex. "Can't we just have a peaceful lunch before being forced back to become a laborer for this goddamn filthy castle?!"

"Kenneth, if you still have energy left to fight, channel it for something useful, cleaning the yard, perhaps?" Emory suggested, pointing at the bushy weed on the yard.

"Or clean Captain Levi's office so you can get complimented like Alex. You're envious of her, just admit it," said Sophie, a joyful sneer on her face. "Come on! Admit it! You can't stand being defeated by her, can you?"

"Shut your mouth, bitch! You got a pretty face but a very lousy mouth," Kenneth snarled at Sophie, who was sticking her tongue at him. "I challenge you for a duel with me," he said confidently to Alex.

Alex was about to open her sandwich, but her hands stopped in the air when she heard the request. "Oh, please no, we're not trainee anymore," she said, almost pleading to him. "You won't get any points from this."

"One round won't hurt. Come on, it's been a while!" Kenneth insisted, standing up in front of her with intimidating gesture, his tall and muscular frame easily towering the tiny girl. "Don't tell me you're afraid."

Alex sighed. "Fine then… But just one round." She stood up unenthusiastically and followed him to the yard.

"Alright, it's settled then!" Sophie quickly stood on the bench, miraculously regaining her vibrant self in a blink, and shouted out loud to the other cadets. "Gather around everyone! Hurry up! The 68th match of the two strongest cadets from southern division is about to begin! Don't miss it for the world!"

Emory turned his head to Gerard, clicking his tongue. "Your best friend is really a moron."

"What can I say, his brain is not well functioning like his muscles," said Gerard, ruffling his blond hair. "I'm getting really tired of watching this..."

"Still up for a bet?" asked Emory, beaming.

Gerard smirked, pulling a coin from his pocket. "He won't last more than one minute."

Emory tossed a coin at him. "Alex will kick his ass in forty six seconds."

Gerard nodded, pulling out his pocket watch from his jacket. "Deal."

Both of them shook hand and continued to eat their lunch as they watched Kenneth and Alex facing one another in fighting stance.

* * *

"Yes, it's a girl. Her name is Alexandra Ritter," said Erwin.

Hange raised an eyebrow and turned her head to Levi. "That's the girl from before," she whispered.

"Is she good?" Levi asked Erwin, unconvinced with this absurd information.

Erwin nodded with a faint satisfied smiled. "The best of the best. She ranked 1st in her class of southern division with the score gap between the 1st and the 2nd graduate was way too far. Even if she is compared with other 1st ranks from another division, she is still superior. Perfect in every subject and training. She's the best trainee in the history of military, so far. That's what the instructors said."

Levi looked at Hange and exchanged a quick look of puzzlement as he remembered the girl. The frail, ill-looking cadet with childlike face, not to mention her pint-sized stature was the last person he would imagine to even enroll in military. And that kind of little girl was the best soldier of all? It was very hard to believe.

"Wait. Wait. Wait a minute," Hange interrupted, seemed like she also shared the same disbelief like Levi. "Erwin, have you met this cadet?"

"No, I have not," said Erwin.

"Are you sure you're not mistaking her name with someone else's?" said Hange. "I mean, I met her earlier in this room and I had no slightest hint that she turned out to be extremely remarkable by looking at her. For instance, she's so tiny and frail, and an exceptionally cute girl," she added with a small smile.

"I believe I don't make any mistakes on that," said Erwin firmly. "Don't let her appearance deceive you, Hange. I haven't received her files from the academy yet, but I've gathered enough information regarding this cadet from reliable sources."

Hange nodded, feeling no longer need to inquire further. "I don't doubt your outstanding research ability. I believe in you, but this fact is just kinda blowing my mind." She shrugged, leaning back to her chair.

Erwin looked at Keith, who still had a concern frown on his forehead. "So, how is it, Commander?" Erwin asked.

"I'm inclined to agree with your logic," said Keith. "If this cadet is really that promising then I'm also looking forward to see her in action. It's very rare to have 1st rank graduate in Survey Corps, though… But no matter how skillful she is, she's still an inexperience soldier in real combat."

There were various murmurs of agreement from around the table, but they were not enough to make Erwin giving up on his proposal.

A very faint smirk curled in Erwin's lips but vanished in the next second. "And that reason is exactly why I propose her to join the expedition," he said, with a tone of careful persuasion. "She has talents and skills, but those will mean nothing if she never get a chance to use it. The earlier she gets chances to cultivate experiences from real battle will be better. Like you said, sir, it's almost unreal to have the best graduate in our hands. She will be great asset for us."

Keith watched Erwin for a long moment, apparently considering the advantage of having additional manpower for the expedition, but then shook his head.

"I still can't let an untrained and unprepared amateur in danger. That's not fair," said Keith, voice sharp. "She is not ready. She will need further guidance before she is able to even defend herself. Yes, she is the best, I get that, but doesn't mean we just can let her roam freely beyond the wall, fighting titans without even having proper preparation. That's very risky, especially knowing how hard our next expedition will be."

The two men stared at each other. Erwin had expected this decision would not be easy for Keith. As a Commander, Keith held a very great concern for the lives of his subordinates, considering each one of their lives was his responsibility. That quality was admirable, however, Erwin always thought there were times when a leader should lead without worrying too much on the future damages. Battlefield was never a safe place after all.

"Don't worry about that, Commander, I have a solution," said Erwin, glancing at Levi. "She will be put under Levi's close supervision."

Startled, Levi looked back at him. "Do you want me to babysit a rookie?" he asked coldly.

"No, I want you to guide and work with her as a team," said Erwin. "Give her a demonstration about how to fight in real battle. And I thought you were the one with the most concern about human preservation."

Levi wondered if Erwin was joking, but the blond man was still looking with a demanding stare. Erwin was dead serious with his request.

"Fine. I'll do it," said Levi finally, having no solid reasons in mind to object him.

"Thank you, Levi," said Erwin, then turned his head to Keith. "So, do I have your agreement on this matter, sir?"

The Commander's sour face indicated that he was about to spit no, but he stared at Levi for a moment, as if he was evaluating Levi's capability as a soldier. After a long silence, he faced Erwin and nodded slightly.

"Your proposal is accepted," said Keith, an edge to his voice. "I think that's all for today. The meeting is dismissed."

And with that command, everyone got up and left meeting room.

At the corridor, Hange approached Nanaba.

"Did you see it?" Hange whispered to Nanaba, smirking. "The love and hate relationship between Erwin and Keith? I counted how many minutes passed until Keith finally said yes. It was merely ten minutes! No matter how uncompromising Keith is, he does have soft side for Erwin."

"Erwin is really something else," said Nanaba in amazement, staring at Erwin, who was discussing something with a Team Leader. "To pull a trick like that, and succeed to gain concession."

Hange glanced at Erwin from over her shoulder. "That was a very bold move indeed. Keith just let him go with that ridiculous idea. I need to learn his moves to make Keith okay with my research budgets."

Nanaba laughed. "If it's about your titan experiment, I bet even Erwin can't do anything about it."

"It's worth to try! I'm thinking to make a presentation about my plan for capturing titan alive," said Hange thoughtfully, crossing her arms. "Keith needs to show more appreciation to my works. If it's not because of me and Moblit, the next expedition will be impossible! Last time, I spent hours watching Deviants' behavior in the forest, identifying them was really a pain in the ass, especially at night. If I have enough budget then I can finally make a special trap to catch one using new method I invented—"

Knowing Hange would not stop at all cost once she talked about the 'glorious and majestic beings', Nanaba quickly changed the subject. "So, when was the last time we got 1st rank recruit?" she asked.

Hange stopped talking, scratched her temple then shrugged. "I can't recall any, not after my enrollment I think."

"Yeah, I don't remember anyone either," said Nanaba. "This will be interesting. I'm very curious with this cadet he recommended."

"Erwin only heard gossips in the academy without even knew who the heck they were talking about," Levi chimed in, overhearing the conversation. "He believed everything they fed to him just like that."

"You didn't even go to boot camp, for your information, instructors don't grade trainees on their appearance and height," said Mike, standing tall beside Levi. "If they say the girl is the best, the girl really got the skills."

"So what if it's true?" said Levi. "Being the best among amateur means she can freely go to titan-land? It's a reckless judgment, even for Erwin."

"Erwin has his calculation, and as I said before, I smelled potential," Mike reminded him. "My olfactory sense is never wrong, so does his judgment."

"Tch. Potential without experience is like hitting the last nail on your coffin. We barely got any recruits and the first thing Erwin wanted to do is to kill one cadet in the next expedition," said Levi, frowning. It was not clear whether Levi was frowning because of Mike's strange habit to analyze everything based on his sniffing ability or because of the filthiness in the corridor was still the same as before.

"Why do you think she will die that fast?" Nanaba asked Levi.

"Rookies are always the very first to die," said Levi indifferently. "I hate unnecessary casualties. If you meet her, you'll think the same presentiment. You'll wonder how long she's gonna last before titan stomps her like an ant."

"But she is the best in her class..." said Nanaba, looking confused. "Does she really look that unconvincing?"

"A bit," said Mike.

"Hell yeah she does," said Levi curtly.

Hange faltered for a moment, but finally nodding to her question. "If you ask for my personal opinion, yes. Believe me, that girl's too cute to be a soldier, she's more suitable playing with dolls than using 3DM Gear."

"Speak of the devil, look at that." Mike looked outside the window, pointing down at the yard.

The cadets were gathering in circle, shouting and cheering enthusiastically to the two cadets who were throwing fists at each other; one was a tall boy and the other was a little girl. Levi noticed the girl had familiar flashy auburn hair.

"That's the girl whom Erwin passionately craved," said Levi.

"Are they fighting?" said Hange, adjusting her glasses to get a better look.

"More like she's toying around with him. She doesn't give a break for him to attack her," said Mike, sniffing the air then smirking at Levi, who was still frowning. "That's some potential."

"Oh, she's great!" said Nanaba when the girl evaded a sharp uppercut then swiped her opponent's feet off the ground with a low kick. "Uh, the big guy fell on his face. That must be really hurt."

Levi watched intently, feeling his interest piqued. Before the others realized it, he was striding the corridor in a hurry.

"Levi, where are you going?" asked Hange.

"There is something I need to make sure by myself," said Levi, quickly pacing down the marble staircase.

"What is he talking about?" asked Nanaba, glancing to Levi who was already out of sight.

"He's probably going to question Erwin for making him supervise her," said Mike lightly, didn't take his eyes off of the yard.

The fight between two best graduates was not an ordinary one; it was very intense and entertaining to the extent that even the veteran soldiers couldn't take their eyes off of the yard.

At the yard, Kenneth was panting heavily with some bruises on his face but still showing determination to beat his opponent. Alex, on the other hand, clearly looked extremely bored with the long fight, standing with loose fighting stance. Kenneth finally stood back on his feet, marching forward with the same fighting spirit and violently launching punches. Alex quickly read his all of his movements; she kept moving and dodging the attacks without using too much effort.

"Now this is just depressing," Emory commented, feeling a little sympathy toward Kenneth, who just got a kick on the abdomen from Alex. "He really doesn't know when to give up, does he?"

"He's yearning for revenge, let him be," said Gerard, propping his chin with his palm. "Remember when he punched Alex right in the face and made her screaming and crying?"

Emory puckered his forehead as he tried to recall the moment. "Nope."

"Me too."

"Wait, he never managed to land a single attack on her."

"That's why he's so desperate…" Gerard sighed. "I've known him since we were kids, he won't give up until he gets what he wants."

"What a moron," said Emory, shaking his head. "You're a moron too, you know. Her last record was fifty seconds. You should have known it's impossible for him to beat her."

"Yeah, but I feel bad if I keep betting against him…" said Gerard, biting his lips. "Seeing him like this is very heart wrenching. You know, I feel like I betray him…"

"You're supporting him out of pity, not chances," Emory concluded.

"Just look at him, he is so pitiful right now." Gerard winced and averted his eyes. "God damn it, I can't watch this any longer…"

The fighting scene was kind of pitiful for Kenneth. He was trying to pin Alex down, which failed because she swiftly broke loose from his arms, and do an armlock, but she already made a counterattack. She kicked his shinbone before he could react to block the attack. Kenneth hissed in pain but managed to stand still, rushing to her with rapid right overhand. Unfortunately for him, Alex was already doing a slipping to dodge and lowering her stance. She grabbed his right wrist and pulled him forward—cleverly using the advantage from the force of his speed—bending over then throwing him to the ground with a loud thud.

"Can we stop now? I'm tired," said Alex, standing up and tapping on her pants to clean the dirt. "It's already the seventh round."

"One more, Alex!" Kenneth shouted, getting on his feet with difficulty and gripping his right wrist. "This is the last!"

"Alright." Alex idly prepared her fighting stance with tiresome look. "Just one more and you will stop, voluntarily."

"Up for the next round! On my mark, fighters!" said Sophie, pretty much enjoying her role as the referee. "Ready!? Fight!"

And with that mark, Kenneth sprinted to Alex. She eyed him carefully as he ran closer to her.

_Left punch, _Alex thought._ Dodge it._

The left jab missed her face by a few centimeters.

_He's tired. Getting slower with each attacks. This won't be too long._

Kenneth launched another sharp jab, almost hitting her left shoulder. Alex slided to her right side to evade, positioning herself right behind him, then jumped high before he could turn to her.

_That's the opening! _

Alex launched a hard knifehand strike to his nape, which was also a downward attack from jumping, adding extra momentum to the attack. The sudden blow on the nape made Kenneth lightheaded, incapacitating him in instance. Alex harshly grabbed his left wrist and did a quick pronating wristlock, pushing the left arm at the elbow with her other hand to force him fall to the ground. She pinned him down on the ground, with her knee on his nape and his left arm locked firmly in twisted way.

Alex let out a long, weary sigh as she loosened her grip on his wrist. "So, can we stop all of this? I haven't even touched my lunch."

Struggling to get loose under her steady lock, Kenneth grunted something unclear to be heard, like a mixed of outcries and vile curses.

"You said this is the last round," Alex reminded. "I won't let you go until you give up, voluntarily. Keep resisting all you want, you may break your wrist in the end."

There was no sign of giving up from Kenneth, and Alex had no pity left to spare because she knew once she let him loose, he would go for another round. She looked at Emory and Gerard with tired gaze as thought she was saying _'please help me to stop this moron'_.

"Aaaand the fight is over," said Gerard, sounding both annoyed and relief. "Just call it an end before he breaks a few of his bones."

Beaming, Emory slipped the coins inside his pocket, much to Gerard's dismay, then glanced to the blond soldier on the bench. "I guess we have a winner, Sophie."

Sophie clapped her hands in the air, signaling the fight was over. "And the winner is Alexandra! Isn't she amazing!? Unbeatable in 68 matches against the 2nd rank graduate—" She froze on her feet and widened her eyes in shock. "Sir!" She immediately stood up straight and did a salute.

All the cadets turned their heads to the direction of her eyes, and unison of horrified gasp burst in the yard. The cheering and excitement from the fight vanished in a single blink, followed with complete silence of fear. Everyone was too captivated with the fight and failed to realize that the Humanity's Strongest Soldier was there.

Standing among them, Levi glared at the two cadets, who were still tussling on the ground, with his irksome stare. Arms folded on his chest. Furrow crinkled deeper than Mariana Trench. His flat expression was as cold as North Pole. He stomped slowly, getting closer to them; every step he took was sending horrific vibes to every living organism nearby.

"Oh my fucking God!" said Gerard frantically under his breath, eyes widened in shock. "This is a goddamn catastrophe!"

"Sir! This is not what you're thinking they're doing!" said Emory, who was immediately rushing to the yard.

Alex hastily hid herself behind Emory. "W-w-we're not fighting, sir!" she said in dread. "It was just a f-friendly m-match!"

"Friendly match, my ass! You damn dwarf!" Kenneth hissed in anger to her, could barely get up on his own.

"You're the one who asked for it!" Alex hissed back at him.

"Fucking dwarf…" Kenneth cursed under his breath while Gerard was helping him to stand up.

"Sir, we can explain. This is not a fight, just a longstanding rivalry of two best soldiers in our class. This happened all the time since the very first day in academy," Emory explained in panic, gulping to see Levi's constant cold expression unchanged. "We didn't intend to make a fuss, sir. We're very sorry about this."

Levi didn't say anything, walking closer and staring at Alex. "Oi, rookie. Fight me," he finally said.

Alex cautiously peeked from Emory's waist. "Huh? Sir... What...?"

"You heard me rookie. Fight me," Levi repeated.

"WHAT?!" Alex screamed when her brain had finished processing the command.

The so-called most powerful soldiers of humanity requesting for a match of brawn was a valid reason for Alex to scamper and hide herself behind the barricade of three Walls. She almost got a heart attack, clutching Emory's jacket with shiver.

Suddenly, a high pitch happy squeal broke the tension, coming from the girl on the bench.

"Aw yeah! Go Alex!" Sophie jumped down and pulled Alex from her hiding. "This is gonna be the best match in history!"

"Sophie! Are you crazy!? It's Captain Levi!" said Emory, evidently very shock to see Sophie got so excited about this life and death situation.

"But Alex is the best in our class," said Sophie lightly as though it settled the matter. "At least she'll give us something worth to watch before losing. Right, Alex!?"

"Sophie! What are you saying?!" Alex screamed, trying to let go of Sophie's hand.

"What's wrong? You don't seriously think I'll expect you to beat Captain Levi, do you?" Sophie asked with confused expression.

"That's not what I mean!" Alex finally freed herself and ran to hide behind Gerard. "I don't want to fight him!"

"Come on! Don't be shy! Show him what you've got!" Sophie quickly grabbed Alex by the arm and dragged her toward Levi, literally dragging her. Alex's boots scraped the ground in her futile resistance to run away.

"I don't want to show anything! Especially not to him!" Alex shrieked, terrified to see Levi was only a few meters away.

"Hahaha! Are you scared, dwarf!?" Kenneth yelled, grinning. "I'd really love to see your ass got beaten!"

"Hey, loser needs to shut up!" Gerard smacked the back of Kenneth's head. "You easily kicked this moron's ass, why don't go for bigger challenge?" he said encouragingly to Alex.

"I don't ask for bigger challenge!" said Alex hopelessly as Sophie pushed her forward.

"Oi. Don't make me wait, you damn rookie," Levi snarled, glowering at Alex.

Alex forced herself to look at him and swallowed hard. "I-I-I don't want to fight y-you, s-sir, with all due respects—"

"Fight me." Levi repeated his command for the third time, clenching his fist.

"Sir, if you are planning to punish her for her actions, there must be some other way—" Emory began.

"This is an order," Levi said sharply, glaring at Emory, who quickly fell silent and nodded.

Alex prepared her fighting stance with hesitation, her knees trembling. Without wasting any seconds, Levi charged to her and launched a kick, aiming for her stomach. She gasped, stepping to the far left and raising her arms to block the kick, but soon realizing that it was a trap. The kick was a bait from to lower her guard down. Levi blew a straight right punch to her face instead of kicking her. She tilted her head, grabbing his punching fist quickly with both of her hands, trying to execute a rotational wristlock.

Then, the unexpected happened.

Levi smirked; he knew she would go for his right wrist after watching her fighting pattern from the previous match. Getting the advantage in strength, Levi gripped her right shoulder with his left hand—making her startled by the sudden, painful strain—and broke loose from her half-done wristlock. He made a powerful counterattack, twisting her right wrist and shoving her to the ground. Luckily, Alex managed to twist Levi's wrist on her shoulder with her other hand, freeing herself from his strong grip in matter of seconds before her face hit the hard ground. She fell on her knees and quickly rolled over, at the same moment when Levi was about to knee her face.

_He's fast!_

Still in daze and fear, Alex hardly stood up on her feet, feeling her legs suddenly turned into jelly.

"Stop fucking around with me. I'll definitely kill you if you keep holding back like this," said Levi menacingly.

And his threat was far from empty. He marched to Alex with greater speed than before, raising his fist and almost hitting her jaw if she didn't react in time. Before she could realize it, Levi already attacked with a roundhouse kick. Relying on her instinct, Alex blocked his kick with her right leg, something she immediately regretted to do because the impact of the collision was severely excruciating. The pain from her right knee quickly radiated to her body. Limping backward, Alex was in trouble maintaining her stance. Levi had no intention to spare her a second to breathe, as he kept marching forward, delivering a straight jab. Alex gripped his hand and his collar jacket. She lowered her stance and pulled him, redirecting the momentum of his force to throw him to the ground, but her attempt was in vain. Being airborne, Levi spun around and landed smoothly on his feet, easily regaining his balance.

Alex retreated in an attempt to get away within Levi's attack range as far as possible.

Both soldiers were standing at far distance, staring at each other.

Levi patted the dirt from his jacket. His expressionless face didn't waver in the slightest even after unleashing brutal attacks. On the contrary, Alex was panting, dodging all his attacks really drained her stamina. She tried to pull herself together. Her mind was running all the possibilities about how to deal with an opponent that she never encountered before. Humanity's strongest was not an empty title.

_His strength… I'm sure my skull will be crushed if any of his attacks hit me._

She grimaced, her right knee still throbbing painfully.

_Getting too close to him is dangerous. I'm so finished if he locks me into submission. Besides, my power is nowhere near his level..._

She clenched her sweaty palms, recalling how Levi easily broke loose from her wristlocking and almost pinned her down.

_He's serious about killing me._

Alex exhaled deeply, standing in steadier fighting stance than before. Her tremble was gone. Her innocent and scared expression vanished, being replaced with a ferocious glare in her eyes.

_I have to attack him first._

"Now, that's an interesting face, rookie," Levi commented with a faint tone of excitement in his raspy voice. "Show me what you got."

Excitement was not for Levi alone; the spectators were cheering loudly around him. Some were staring at him in awe, some were clapping their hands for Alex.

"Damn it! Why's that dwarf always jumping around like a crazy cat?!" Kenneth shouted, definitely very eager to see Alex lost for once.

"Woohoo! I can't believe my eyes! She can keep up with Captain Levi!" said Gerard, throwing his fist to the air.

"That's our Alex! You go girl!" Sophie squealed.

"Guys! Why are you enjoying this?!" Emory shouted in disbelief, looking around with face as white as a sheet. "You should be worried for her life instead of cheering her!"

"Dude, let's make a bet!" said Gerard happily. "I bet my whole dinner on this! Mine is Alex won't—"

"My Goodness, Gerard! This is not the time!" Emory snapped. "Alex could get killed anytime soon!"

Rushing with adrenaline, Alex rushed toward Levi, sprinting with all her might. Levi readied his fighting pose, preparing to strike first once she got close enough. Alex quickly jumped and swirled in the air. Launching a flying back kick with lightning speed, she aimed at Levi's head. Levi raised his arms to block the surprise attack and succeeded; her boot almost scratched his face. Levi launched a punch and Alex greeted his attack with butterfly kick.

Witnessing the unstoppable sequences of merciless punches, brutal kicks, and split-second dodges were causing thrill to everyone at the yard. Anyone who didn't know what was going on would think that those two soldiers were sworn enemy, eager to fight until death. It was a very fierce and intense battle, making everyone forgot to breathe or blink. Alex literally went ballistic mode, jumping and kicking with incredible agility and ferocity, much to Levi's enjoyment. Levi attacked her without mercy, getting more pumped every time she managed to evade. It had been so long since he met someone who could keep up with him.

They stopped for a moment, keeping a certain distance to catch their breath.

In the next second, both of them were run forward and ready to strike each other again.

"STOP! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

The loud baritone exclamation froze stopped all their movements at once. Levi halted his right low jab in the air. Alex already jumped to attack him in the face, but in the last moment she deflected her kick, tumbling to the ground.

Erwin was rushing to the yard, looking confused and displeased. "That's enough, both of you," he said, his voice was casual but deadly.

Levi muttered curses under his breath, staring at the girl near his feet.

Alex hastily got up and gasped, realizing that she just spattered mud on Levi's face from her kick. "Sir, I'm very, terribly sorry..." she said in horrified voice.

"Not bad," said Levi, cleaning his cheek with handkerchief. "Good news, rookie. You are now officially a temporary member of my squad."

"She what?!" Kenneth shouted in utter shock.

"Sir, I-I-I don't get it…" Alex stuttered, completely nonplussed. "Your s-s-squad?"

Levi nodded.

"Your squad...? But that's—" Alex paused, the sudden realization struck her like a lightning. "Wait, sir, does it mean that I'll participate in the next expedition?!"

"Of course you will. You have four days to prepare yourself." Levi threw his stained handkerchief at her face. "Wash this." He ordered then walked away from the yard, heading toward Erwin.

All the cadets were clapping their hands, surrounding Alex to congratulate her.

"That was a spectacular match!"

"Alex! You're so strong!"

"You're really gonna go on the next expedition? That's awesome!"

"It's very amazing! Way to go, cutie!" said Gerard, wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders

"Beyond the wall!? Seriously!? But we just became a member last night!" said Emory incredulously.

"What the hell!? Why did he recruit you into his squad?!" Kenneth shouted.

"I don't know!" Alex yelped, still holding the dirty handkerchief in her hand.

"ALL OF YOU!" Levi shouted, turning around to face all cadets. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Using lunch break time for watching your comrades fight?! Make yourself useful, you idiotic greenhorns! Now move your ass and clean the second floor! No one gets dinner if I see a single speck of dust!"

"YES, SIR!" They briskly saluted and ran to the castle.

Erwin sighed, rubbing his forehead and walking toward Levi. "What are you trying to accomplish, to be exact?"

"Nothing. Just a friendly greeting from me," said Levi nonchalantly.

"Most civilized people use handshake."

"I prefer less traditional approach."

Erwin gave him a skeptical look. "By exchanging your fists? I see your term of 'less traditional' is more like 'too radical'."

"The only way you know how strong a stranger can be is by exchanging fists. I'm sure you understand. That's something I learned from you, at least."

"She's a soldier, not a thug. That barbaric method is outdated."

Levi scowled at him. "Tch. Don't bother count her in for expedition if she couldn't handle a few jabs to her face."

"She won't participate in any expeditions if you're trying to kill her," Erwin reprimanded. "Even if you hold back, she might end up in hospital for days."

"I was not holding back," said Levi irritably.

"Oh, really?" said Erwin, his calm face suddenly filled with amazement. "And you couldn't hit her, even just once?"

Levi gnashed his teeth and nodded stiffly. Admitting that she was better than what he had expected annoyed him for some unknown reasons.

"How could that happened?" Erwin inquired.

"She's damn fast. And she could predict my movements like she could read my mind. We were about to get more serious then you walked in and ruined the fun."

"I get it," said Erwin slowly. "So you were really trying to send her to hospital so she couldn't take part in expedition. Your way to preserve human lives is so screwy."

"Still a better way than your ridiculous order to make me babysit her," Levi retorted.

"If you're strongly against my request, why did you agree to supervise her?"

"Even If I did object, you would not give up on it, right? I don't how many sly tricks you can pull from your ass. I bet there are still some."

"That's maybe true," said Erwin, smiling faintly. "So, in your opinion, how is she?"

"I gotta say she's not bad, but I still don't like your idea about dragging an amateur into this," said Levi, his voice filled with distaste.

"She'll be a great asset," said Erwin confidently.

Levi looked at the girl, who was running toward the castle while pathetically munching a sandwich.

"I do hope so," Levi finally said, but with less doubt than before.

* * *

**Revamped for grammatical errors: 3/3/16**

**Author's Note: I practice Tae Kwon Do and Jiu Jitsu, so Alex's fighting style heavily resembles those martial arts, that's how I got my inspiration for the fighting scenes. What do you guys think so far? Please review, constructive criticisms are highly appreciated. See ya!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 2**

**-Year 845, the day of Survey Corps 29th Expedition beyond the Wall-**

Alexandra Ritter looked at herself in the mirror, staring at her bright hazel eyes, and her evident dark eyelids caused by lacking of sufficient amount of sleep. Giving up with the attempt to make her panda eyes less noticeable, she continued to brush her hair and tied it up in ponytail. She sighed irritably, slowly put on the black belt on her chest, waist, armpit, and finally the legs, tightened each strap with buckles. Her hands were trembling when she attached the gear on her waist. This was the very first time she is going to use Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear again after graduating from the Trainee Squad, and worse still, to use it in the real combat against titans very soon. She wasn't sure whether she was ready or not, it's just too sudden for her…

She opened the wardrobe, took the Survey Corps jacket and wore it. Then, she stared at the folded green cloak on her bed, touching the emblem on its back carefully with her fingers. The famous insignia of dark blue and white feather looked so flashy compared to its green background.

"Freedom, huh? I wonder if such thing even exists…" she mumbled. "Or maybe it's just a fantasy."

She put on the oversize cloak, which made her looked smaller than her actual petite figure, then checked on herself again in the mirror. A wry smile twitched on her tiny lips.

"Well, I guess I'm done here…" she turned her heels toward the door.

Every steps felt like a chunk of iron tied on her ankles, heavy and painful, but she kept dragging her feet in steady steps as walked through the barrack corridor. She walked down the stairs, entering the empty main hall. Her mind jumbled all the uneasy thoughts that occupied her head for days, the same reason that kept her awake all night. She shook her head, trying to cast away all the doubts and worries, remembering why she even here in the first place.

_Isn't this what you always wish for, Alex? What are you hesitating for?_

"Alex!"

Turning her head at the direction of the voice, she saw her fellow cadets approached her.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" asked Alex.

"We will escort you before your departure," said Emory, smiling at her.

She frowned at him. "But don't you guys have training?"

"Training? You mean keeping this old castle clean and secure while all the veterans and _you_," Kenneth bitterly emphasized his tone of voice as he referring to her, "venturing outside the walls?"

"Wings of Freedom!" Gerard zestfully spread her cloak, gaping at the emblem. "Man, this is so freaking cool!"

"And all we got is this stupid crossed swords…" Kenneth grumbled, tapping the emblem on his chest with his finger while staring at the cloak.

"Doesn't it a little too oversize for you, Alex?" asked Sophie, noticing the end of the cloak almost reached her thighs.

"Uh huh. The new uniforms for Cadet are not finished yet, so Captain Levi lent me his spare cloak and jacket, his size was the closest one to mine," she outspread her arms, showing the sleeve of the jacket almost covered her fingers. "But still too big for me."

Remembering about the fighting incident, Alex thought Levi had some unfinished grudge against her after she accidentally tainting his inexpressive face with mud. Alex had prepared her mental stability for another fight when she knocked on Levi's office two days ago, wanting to return his handkerchief. And surprise, Levi already waited for her, asking if she wanted to use his uniform. He even came to her barrack and gave all the materials that she may need to know about the expedition. She was never expected such kindliness from him; someone who mercilessly assaulted her and threatened to kill her now acted so generous, even though his inscrutable countenance was still nowhere near friendly.

"I can't believe that clean freak midget let someone else to touch his property. He really favors you, doesn't he?" Kenneth flouted.

"Believe me, Kenneth, this is surprised me as well," said Alex, staring at her sleeve. "Like I said, he's not a bad person."

"Kenneth, we got it that you are jealous with Alex because she's the only cadet in this expedition, but try to not lashing out to her," Emory sharply forewarned Kenneth when he opened his mouth to argue. "Or picking a fight," he added quellingly, anticipating the boy's tendency to deal any strives with brawn.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kenneth grumbled again.

"Quit your bitching, dude. Your permanent awful mood is getting worse each day," Gerard complained. "This is her big day. Just for once in a while, be happy for her, can you?"

"Actually, he's not the only one who got jealous," said Sophie, smiling at Alex, but looked very bitter at the same time. "Seriously, Alex, I still don't get it why you are the only chosen one."

"I heard from Captain Levi that one of the higher ranks recommended me to join this expedition," said Alex.

"And who was it?" asked Kenneth curiously.

"It was, umm… I forget the name… But he's one of the most trusted man of Commander, the one who served as his right hand."

"Squad Leader Erwin Smith?" Sophie asked, flabbergasted.

Alex nodded. "Oh yeah, I think that's his name. Why?"

Sophie bit her lip, shaking her head slowly. "No, nothing. I just… Well, it's unusual for the higher ranks to notice new cadet. Do you know him before?"

"I don't think so… The first time I saw him was in inauguration. Is something bothering you, Sophie?" Alex pried, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

"No, it's nothing!" Sophie waved her hand. "Let's get going, guys! She can't be late for her expedition!" she held Alex by the hand as they walked to the front yard.

"Have any survival tricks that I can use?" asked Alex.

"You're too small. Titans may mishit you if you crouch down on the ground. You'll look microscopic to them," Kenneth deadpanned.

"Play cadaver trick, you know, lay down and don't move?" said Sophie

"Just fight them all like a warrior, Alex. Slice and dice," beamed Gerard.

"That's very helpful… Thanks guys," Alex gulped, getting more nervous.

"Have you checked your gear?" asked Emory.

"I have. Stop nagging me about it. You already asked me eighteen times since yesterday," said Alex tiredly.

"Alex, outside world is not the same with training ground. If your gear get busted, I won't be there to fix it for you," said Emory sternly, looking worriedly at her. "When you lose your mobility, it's a game over."

"They're good, and you've already taught me how to fix it," she gave the ebony-haired boy a smile, showing her appreciation. "Please don't worry about it."

"Here it is," said Gerard, pushing the big wooden door.

The main forces of Survey Corps was already on the front yard; loading the supply crates to the wagons, leading their horses to the front gate, checking the reserve equipments for battles, everyone seemed so ready to execute the mission. Alex straightened her posture, exhaling deeply.

"Everyone, I want to say something…" Alex faced her comrades and slightly bowed her head. "Thank you for everything you've done to me for the last couple years. It was so much fun. I really appreciate it. Words can't describe my gratitude—"

But Gerard smacked her back rather hard before she could finish; causing the tiny girl almost stumbled on the floor. "Cut the crap, Alex! Don't give us such a sappy speech before heading to titan land!" he said in rather agitated voice.

"It feels like…you're saying goodbye to us… Are you okay?" said Sophie.

"I'm…not sure how I feel exactly," Alex admitted in husky voice, clenching her sweaty palms.

"Are you scared? Wanting to withdraw from this? I'm more than happy and ready to replace you," said Kenneth, looking so hopeful.

"It's not about the expedition, it's just…" she uneasily twiddled her hair, glimpsing at the other soldiers. "It's a bit uncomfortable for me, you know, I don't even know these people…"

"Please don't get neurotic attack in times like this," Gerard ruffled her hair, trying to comfort her.

"This introverted sides of yours really need a therapy someday," Sophie pouted, clicking her tongue.

Alex felt her body was creating a huge wave of anxiety, overwhelming herself. "Yes, but… I'm just…very—"

"You have to trust these people," Emory convinced her, gently tapping her shoulder. "You are a great fighter, so are they. I'm sure you will come back alive if you cooperate with them."

"We'll see about that," she replied briskly. "Bye guys," she dragged her shaky legs toward the stables.

"Make sure you always have enough blades and gas!" Emory reminded her.

"Good luck Alex!" Sophie cheered and crossed her fingers.

"Try to not be trampled by titans! You know, being a dwarf is very risky!" Kenneth ridiculed surly.

"Oh, shut up Kenneth!" Gerard elbowed his ribs hard. "Kick some ass, Alex! Prove to this moron even a dwarf can beat gigantic titans!"

Alex looked back at them, chuckling and waving her hand. "They are such good people…"

_See you later guys…or not._

Alex sprinted across the yard, fixing her eyes to the ground. Not because she looked for something on the ground, but because she couldn't stand to make eye contacts with so many curious stares piercing at her. Sweeping her boots between the bushy grasses, she could hear voices of people talking about her, some even pointing their fingers at her.

"Is that her?"

"The new cadet."

"She ranked first from trainee squad!"

"That little girl? Seriously?"

"Do you know she was fighting with Captain Levi?"

Murmurs and whispers were becoming louder and louder as Alex reached the stables. She broke through the swarm of soldiers, looking around. Finally, she felt the wave of anxiety faded a little when she saw her superior; he was giving his black stallion water near the well.

"Good morning, sir," Alex saluted.

"Hn," was Levi's only respond to her greeting. "That's your horse," he pointed.

Rushing to the pointed direction, Alex found a light brown stallion was tied at the far right stables. "Hi there," she gently patted the horse mane. It neighed, licking her hand. "I'm Alex. I hope we can be good friend in this journey," she let loose of the rein and pulled it.

When she rushed back to Levi, she noticed he was talking to the same soldier who stopped their life-and-death match.

"Cadet Alexandra Ritter?" came a voice from the tall, blonde soldier who was standing beside Levi.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm Erwin Smith. Leader of the 1st Squad and Second-in-Command of Survey Corps," he introduced himself, smiled warmly at her. "I'm sure Captain Levi already gave you a briefing about our expedition."

"Um… actually no, sir," Alex hesitantly glimpsed at the testy soldier behind him.

"Really?" Erwin looked surprise and turned to Levi — who looked back at him with his impassive stare — demanding explanation.

"Not verbally or directly, I mean. I received the files for our expedition two days ago. Captain Levi ordered me to read them, said that everything I needed to know was in the files," Alex elaborated immediately before Erwin could revile Levi on the spot.

"Alright then…" Erwin was still sparing a disappointed look to Levi before turned to Alex. "Would you mind to rehash what you have read? What is the main objective of this expedition?"

"Yes, sir. The mission is to secure the land on the Rotwand Hill, and build a permanent stronghold on the top of it, using an abandoned old fortress," Alex quickly rehashed. "We will commence operation at 8 o'clock, departing from Shiganshina District then moving straight to the south. Our first camp is Dieburg Fortress, located 90 kilometers in southeast of Wall Maria. According to the mission plan, we will reach Dieburg Fortress by afternoon, spend the night there, and resume our operation tomorrow."

The blond soldier nodded. "And the formation of our brigade? What is the main function of our special formation?"

"Our formation is to avoid combat with titan at any cost. The Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation is a huge formation that every soldier divided into squads, spread out over the large area, and set apart at certain intervals, allowing us to maximize the visibility of the surroundings area and widening the detection range for titans…" she paused briefly, looking at Erwin with astonishment. "Actually, I personally think this formation is a brilliant idea," she added with enthusiastic tone.

Erwin's twitched his eyebrow, looking back at her in wonder. "Why do you think so?"

"We can not always able to fight every titan we encounter, right? That will be wasting too much time; moreover, to fight them in open area is quite difficult. If we can avoid them, we may increase the chances of survival and the success rate of the mission," she clarified, sounded very impressed. "With this formation, we can detect them in advance and disseminate the information to the other squads."

"That's correct," agreed Erwin. "How we relay message with the other squad?"

"We communicate with signal flares. Red for titan spotted, black for Deviant spotted or if any titan break into formation, green for changing course, purple for an emergency, blue for retreat order, and yellow means the mission has been terminated, be it successfully or failed." Alex finished her wordy explanation, catching her breath. "I guess that's all I read in the files, sir…"

Erwin stared at her with more amazement than he intended to show. "Someone's done her homework very well," he complimented, feeling very satisfied.

Alex smiled weakly at his praise. "Thank you, sir. I'm trying to do the best I can."

"Cadet Ritter, I'm looking forward for your cooperation in this expedition," said Erwin, reaching his hand to her.

"Yes, sir. I'm glad if I can contribute," said Alex, shaking his hand. "Um…sir. Thank you so much for the uniform," she said gingerly to Levi.

"Make sure you wash it before give it back to me," said Levi.

"Yes, sir. I will," said Alex. She pulled her horse rein again, leading it to the front gate.

"I thought you meant it when you said you would supervise her," said Erwin, sounded a bit displeased.

"I did mean it. She already knew everything from the reports, was there anything left for me to tell her? Stop worrying too much, Erwin. I know what I'm doing," said Levi indifferently, leading his horse away from stables.

"Rookie. Your squadmates," said Levi to Alex, pointing to bunch of soldiers who were looking at them. "Everyone, new cadet. New cadet, everyone," Levi carelessly introduced Alex to his underlings. "When you done with your chitchats, hop on to your horse and move," he commanded, mounting to his black stallion and riding it toward the gate.

Alex looked shyly to the soldiers, mumbling. "Umm… Good morning…"

"Good morning, Cadet. I'm Michael," said the soldier with blond hair, "this is Flora," a tall black-haired woman smiled warmly at her, "Josef," he pointed the tallest soldier in the group, "and Rudolf," the last soldier with black hair was looking at her without a blink. "Welcome to Levi's Squad. I'm Second-in-Command, by the way."

"I'm Alexandra Ritter," she said quietly.

"I heard you were fighting with Captain Levi, what was that all about?" asked Josef bluntly.

Alex shrugged. "I had no idea… He just came and ordered me to fight with him."

"Maybe he was gauging your skill," said Rudolf, observing her from head to toe. "You're the 1st rank graduate, right?" he cautiously asked, which got a nod of confirmation from Alex.

"I'm expecting someone more, like… You know, you are so tiny," scoffed Josef, eyeing her in disbelief.

"Yeah, a lot of people always say it to me…" said Alex, fiddling with her hair.

"Hey, enough with bullying her!" Flora reprimanded with an upset voice. "Captain Levi must had a reason for it, but just commanding that kind of order," she's looked very worried and amused at the same time, "I'm sure you're very afraid when he jumped at you with his fist aimed for your face."

"I was more than afraid, miss, I thought I almost got a heart attack," Alex muttered, mounting on her horse.

Riding her horse beside Levi, Alex steadily spurred her horse as Survey Corps departed from Heubach Castle, heading for Shiganshina District. Alex sensed many eyes were staring at her back, giving shivers to her spine. She glanced to Mike; a blond female soldier beside him was staring right at her. Alex quickly looked back at her horse mane when their eyes met. She inhaled and exhaled repeatedly in regular pattern, forcing herself to be calm.

_Calm down, Alex. Just calm down. You will be fine. No one will hurt you here…_

When they entered the inner gate of Wall Maria, the citizens of Shiganshina District were standing at the roadside, cheering loudly for them as if they had waited all morning for the parade to pass by.

"Look! The main regiment of Survey Corps is coming!"

"Commander Keith! We wish you good luck!"

"That's Captain Levi! Humanity's Strongest Soldier!"

"They say he's like an entire brigade to himself!"

"Captain Levi! Kick those titans' ass for me!"

Levi cursed under his breath, peering with irritation from the corner of his eyes to the masses of people screaming his name. "Someone please shut these goddamn noisy people up," he hissed.

"Just smile and wave to them, Levi. Smile and wave," chirped Hange — who rode her horse beside him — grinning gleefully at him. "I bet half of them are here just to see you."

"Tch. They are here to make my eardrums bleed," spat Levi rudely.

Levi was not the only one who was very annoyed with the bystanders; Alex shrunk on the horseback every time people looked at her, though they actually gazed at Levi who was next to her.

Arriving at the outer gate, the view of the huge Wall Maria was catching her attention. She looked up as the lever mechanism slowly lifted up the gate, rattling heavily.

"Forty five seconds before the gate open!" Commander Keith's jarring voice was snagging the air.

Alex held her breath, grasped her rein tighter; her eyes radiated wonder and anticipation. Suddenly, all her worries and doubts vanished from her mind. Her heart was pounding wildly until her chest hurt. The overwhelming anxiety transformed into the fervent passion, rushing through her arteries and veins.

_This is it! The wish that you always yearn for, Alex. To go beyond the wall, and—_

"Oi! What's that smirk about?"

Alex jerked on her saddle upon hearing the sharp exclamation. She turned to Levi, who was glaring at her with his cold gray eyes. "Oh, nothing, sir, it's just… I'm so thrilled I'll be able to go beyond the wall. It's like a dream come true for me!" she piped. "I'm curious about what's out there. I just can't wait!" she grinned widely like a Cheshire cat, barely suppressing her excitement.

"Out there? There are titans, of course. A hell lot of them," Levi stated tartly. "Don't get too carried away."

"Yes, sir! I-I'm sorry," her face blushed with embarrassment.

"Hey, Levi! Don't crush your man's enthusiasm like that!" Hange sputtered at him.

"We're here to work, not having a field trip," came the very cold reply.

"Jeez, you are no fun," she frowned then looked at Alex with wide smile. "Don't mind your Captain's grumpiness, he is not a very cheerful person to begin with. Just relax and enjoy the ride, Cadet. First time is always the best!" she croaked, gaping at the half-lifted gate.

"Why is it always the best?" Alex asked.

"You'll find out soon enough!" said Hange. "Prepare your heart and mind! The first time when you see those majestic creatures—"

"Enough with your nonsense, four eyes. It's almost time," Levi interrupted.

"Oh right. See ya later!" she rode her horse to the front line, next to Erwin.

"It's officially begun! The 29th Survey Corps Expedition beyond the wall!" Keith announced. "Scouts! Move out!"

The heavy sound of galloping horses reverberated when the soldiers were advancing forward. Alex was spurring her horse in the fastest way she could, catching a glimpse of tiny dot of light at the end of tunnel.

_Finally._

The tiny dot of light became bigger and bigger. Her heartbeat quickened, like her chest could explode in any seconds.

The end of the tunnel seemed like took forever to be reached.

_The outside world._

The dazzling light hit her retina, almost blinding her; but she resisted the stimulus to squint her eyes.

Then, she saw it. It was the most magnificent view she ever saw in her life.

Alex never knew that the land beyond the wall could be vast and unreachable. The immense blue sky with clouds rolling, the green forest lining up in the faraway, there were no walls to be seen. The endless horizon was spreading in every direction. She let go of the reins and stood on the stirrups, throwing her hands up to the sky like she was trying to reach it.

"Tch. Stupid rookie," Levi grumbled, leering at her. "Oi. I told you to not get too carried away."

She had been so enthralled by the magnificent scenery, causing massive euphoria circulating inside her body. Seemed to not hear her captain was speaking to her, she kept raising her hands up in the air — laughing freely as if she was possessed by something — staring at the blue sky without a blink.

"Oi! Rookie! Are you fucking deaf?" he snarled harshly.

Alex briskly snapped back to reality, looking so terrified to meet Levi's intimidating glare. "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" she sat back on her saddle with her face turned scarlet.

The rest soldiers of Levi's Squad were sniggering at her, very amused to see her antics and naivety.

"Listen up rookie. It's very understandable for you to be happy as fuck once you're outside the Walls. But don't let your guard down," Levi reproved. "You screw up, you die. Got it?"

"I got it, Captain," said Alex.

"You won't be so carefree when they show up," said Rudolf.

"Just wait until you see the titans. Watch out, Cadet, you may end up pissing on your pants," Josef sneered at her.

"If titans come, we just have to cut their napes, right?" said Alex.

The uneasy stares from her new squadmates were responding to her improper statement.

"What a big mouth you have there, rookie, for someone who never faced titans in her life," Levi chided.

"Being 1st rank graduate really boost your confidence, huh?" said Michael, giving her an antsy look. "Careful, Cadet, we may never know when they will pop up."

"That's…what the drill instructor in academy said…" Alex mumbled in faint voice that couldn't be heard by the others.

The battalion of Survey Corps moved forward to the southeast. Surrounded by dense forest at their left and right side, the only way possible to avoid titans at this rate was to keep moving as fast as possible. They would execute the famous Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation once they got out from the woods into the wide-open terrain. They advanced, with very high level of vigilance embedded in every eyes of the soldiers. Then, out of nowhere…

"Titans approaching from the forest!" warned one of the soldiers on the verge of right flank.

With thudded footsteps that shook the ground like earthquake, the gigantic silhouettes slowly emerged between the towering trees.

"Team 1 and 2 from the 2nd Squad follow me!" Mike shouted loudly. "We will take them down before they get out!" Then he turned his direction to the forest, followed by many soldiers from the front guard.

Alex was fixing her eyes to the darkness of the forest, really hoping to see the titans, but she couldn't get a view because they main force keep advancing before the titans showed their selves.

"Captain Levi! Titans are coming our way!" Flora suddenly screeched, pointing to the woods on their left side.

"Tch. We're too close with them," Levi seized his handgrips from the holster. "Everyone! Prepare for combat!"

Levi's Squad went directly to the source of thunderous noise. Alex followed them; her curiosity senses were tingling in her head.

Subsequently, she was running out of breath as if every molecule of air was sucked out of her precincts, as her eyes captured the horrible sights of the monsters.

Three giants, human-like creatures with the size bigger than anything she ever saw, howling and flailing with their arms constantly when members of Levi's Squad attacking with 3DM Gear. Long limbs, wide palms, and weird-shaped head with vicious grin on their overstretched mouths were radiating threats and hostility. Alex thought they looked like creepy carnivorous people. Levi's Squad already killed two titans, continuing to butcher the last one.

Like there were invisible hands redirecting her body, Alex automatically rode her horse toward the titan, dismounting and staring with mouth agape.

"Alex! Run from there!" Flora's horrified shriek called out to her.

But Alex just stood with the large wide-eyed stare. It's not fear or anxiety that ran down through her body. It was a lightning of wonderment struck her on the head; a genuine feeling of perplexity paralyzed every fiber of her muscles.

_Are they for real? What are these things? How could they become so gigantic? And those bodies…so disproportioned but they still manage to stand? Why do they resemble human?_

And many, many more questions exploded relentlessly in her head. She was so lost in her thought, putting on her thinking cap without realizing another titan from forest was already running to her. Startled by the sudden aggression, she dodged the gigantic hand slap by few inches, jumping and rolling on the ground.

Just before the titan crushed her to the hard ground, Levi flew from the sky, maneuvering in downward slice straight to the nape, killing it in instant. The titan carcass fell before her and Levi landed on its head smoothly. He stared at her; a very dark and vindictive glare lingered in his gray eyes.

"Captain… Levi…?" Alex was staring back at the enraged man intently.

"Oi, rookie! Do you want to kill yourself?" Levi snarled at her, extremely pissed off with the fact that she just froze helplessly like a rock. He grabbed her collar roughly and lifted her off the ground. "You fucking useless brat! The next time you see titans, fight! Or run your ass off if you are too afraid to face them! Understand?" he yelled in her face.

"Y-yes, sir, I-I-I got it!" she stuttered.

"Best cadet my ass!" he shoved her to the ground. "Now get back to your horse!"

Alex stood up quickly and dashed to her horse though her eyes didn't shift from Levi.

_He… Impossible. Could he be…?_

"Alex! Are you okay?" Flora rushed to her.

"I'm okay, miss," said Alex, still staring at Levi

"No matter what ranks, amateur is still amateur," said Josef in clear mocking tone.

Alex ignored the snide comment as she climbing on her horse and riding it, regrouping with the main force.

"Tch. I still don't get it why Erwin insisted a useless greenhorn like you to tag along!" spat Levi in frustration, glaring at Alex.

"I'm sorry, sir! That won't happen again… I promise," she assured, sounded very determined.

"Don't make a promise you can keep!" Levi growled. "Keep riding on your horse until we pass this forest and execute the formation!"

Alex nodded. "I got it, sir!"

Not long after that, two titans were striding right to Levi's Squad.

"We're going to take them down!" Levi commanded, drawing his blades then looking at Alex. "Rookie! You know what to do!"

"Yes, sir!" Alex croaked.

She kept marching forward while Levi's Squad was fighting the titans behind. She saw a seventeen meters class titan appeared from the dense forest few meters ahead her. A soldier tried to attack it; but the titan grabbed his wire, crushing him with its palm then swallowing him. Blood dripped from its mouth and palm. Alex felt her stomach twisting in disgust to see such a violent way to die.

_Ugh… That's very brutal…_

Another soldier tried to attack the titan's nape, but he's too slow. The titan tilted its head and bit him with a very disturbing cracking sound, splitting his body in half. Afterwards, the titan ran to the convoy with feet stomping louder than thunder.

"No! Don't do it!" Alex yelled when another squad charged to halt the monster. "Oh no, they are gonna die!"

And her premonition was accurate. The entire squad members were annihilated in matter of minutes, because this titan seemed to understand their movements of attacks. It grabbed the last helpless soldier in its firm grip and Alex thought that his backbone just broke by the crushing force because his upper body was bending backward in odd way.

_Are they mindless? Charging a reckless attack like that…_

Another squad marched to the titan, trying to take it down before it could penetrate deeper to the formation.

She spurred her horse toward the titan with great speed. "No! Stop it! Don't attack directly from the front! Aim from its blind spot!" she exasperatedly forewarned.

In amidst heat of battle, no one would hear and heed warnings from a mere cadet like her. Alex groaned in upset to witness another soldier was trapped in titan's clutch; she really fed up with how the soldiers fighting without proper coordination and plan.

"I can't stand this…" she quickly pulled the rein hard, stopping her horse and dismounting. "Go somewhere place safe, okay? I don't want you to get killed," she patted gently the horse's head.

Her horse neighed as if it understood her words then ran off.

Alex pulled out her blades and sprinted toward the titan that about to devour the soldier. She launched the anchors, targeting for its wrist then reeling the wire in speedily. She aimed for its fingers, cutting them all off in accurate depth without hurting the soldier. Alex was relieved to glimpse the soldier landed to ground, still alive and breathing. Then, she focused her attention to the monstrous being.

_It has to be the nape, huh? That's troublesome._

Firing the hooks at its nape, Alex swung in the air with her blades drawn. The titans abruptly ran again to the core of battalion, heading straight to the carriages. Its sudden motion made Alex missed the target; she slashed the shoulder blades instead of its nape, causing her blades broken to pieces.

_No. Not the supply carts._

Reloading her blades straightway, Alex gritted her teeth in panic when she noticed titan's arms flailing uncontrollably; she almost got squashed in the armpit if she didn't released the anchors in time. The titan was getting closer to the main force. Killing it was not an option because she couldn't reach the nape without being crushed in pieces.

_I need to make it stop._

Swirling in the midair, she fired the hooks at its waist while racking her brain to find effective methods to stop the Deviant before it could cause fatal damage to the formation. Alex was whirling around the titan in desperate attempt to draw its attention her: cutting the legs, arms, midriff, buttocks, inner thighs, shoulder, and any parts of its body which she could strike until her blades became dull. At the very last, the titan seemed so annoyed by her, almost smacking her between its palms. The titan roared, swinging its hand powerfully. Alex landed to the ground to evade. She almost crashed into a carriage, but quickly stood on her feet.

"I'm really gonna kill you," she hissed, reloading her blades again and running toward the titan without hesitation.

As the big palm swiped the ground, she jumped and shot her hooks right to its glabella. She reeled the wire, facing the titan then thrusting her blades right in the both eyes. The titan blood covered her hands up to her elbow.

"Be a good boy and calm down a bit, will you?" Alex stuck her blades in its eyes, then jumping down to dodge a hard smack.

Concentrating on making next move, she reloaded her last pair of blade while soaring in the air. She realized the titan was howling in horrendous voice, clearly in agony, sticking its hand to its face. All the violent movements had stopped, creating a golden opportunity for Alex to assail.

_The nape is wide open!_

Not wasting another seconds, she adjusted the muzzles direction to the nape and fired; the anchors pierced to the thick skin.

_Now it's my chance!_

Alex finger was pressing the reeling knob very hard as she flew closer to the quarry. She slashed its nape with one blow, a lethal upward slice delivered in lightning speed. The seventeen meters class deviant type slowly fell down. She embedded herself at the nape then realized another titan was chasing the supply carts nearby.

"Oh please, not you too," she grunted, leaping down quickly to slaughter the next prey.

She fired the hooks to the five meters class titan and swung herself swiftly toward its nape, cutting the chunk of meat easily. The titan collapsed to the ground. She landed gracefully next to it, perfectly safe and sound.

Her first fight against titans was a facile victory.

Panting in relieved, Alex released her dull blades; the broken steel fell with clanking noise. "Well, that's easier than I—" she was stunned to see the sticky titan blood on her hands evaporated. "What the? It's evaporating? What on earth…?" she turned around to see the titans carcass behind her slowly producing white steam.

Disconcerted, she was mussing her head for any logical explanations, when something wet and sticky splattered on her cheek.

"My horse!" she screamed in surprise to see the light brown stallion licking her. "You come back for me? What a good boy!"

"Oi! Rookie!"

Alex trembled to hear the familiar hoarse voice. Behind her, Levi was leading his squad back to the main force, staring fiercely at her with a mixed expression of suspicion and confusion.

"Oh, Captain Levi! I'm sorry, sir! I just can't stand to let the others fight—"

"Explanation later. Keep moving," Levi commanded briskly. "We're about to deploy formation."

"Yes, sir!" Alex hopped on her horse and followed her captain.

Alex felt many profound stares were drilling right at her. Many eyes — wary, scared, awe, bewildered — were following her as she passed through the soldiers. She pulled her hood to cover her face, gulping and sweating bullets.

That was the moment when every soldier realized that the petite cadet was no ordinary soldier.

"Your judgment is never wrong, Erwin. Never in my highest expectation, I'd imagine she could fight like that," said Keith, with much admiration flowing in his tone of voice, smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Commander," said Erwin confidently. His icy blue eyes were glowing at her. "That Cadet is a great asset."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Nearly before the nighttime fell, the main forces of Survey Corps arrived at the designated point: Dieburg Fortress, or rather, an old ruin, which was more suited to be a haunted castle than a temporary base camp.

"We are staying here for tonight!" Commander Keith commanded out loud to his subordinates. "All division, disperse and store the logistics!"

Alex hopped off of her horse, patting its head tenderly. "Thank you for today, partner. You did an amazing job."

The horse licked her face in return, which made Alex giggled. She walked her horse to the stables, giving it water and hay to chew. Behind her, the rest soldiers of Levi's Squad were glancing at her in anticipation. None of them had talked to her since she excellently slaughtering the Deviants, much to her dismay.

Levi stood next to her, tying his horse rein to the peg and staring at her with unreadable expression.

"Sir, what should I do with this?" she asked him, showing her empty scabbard.

"Ask for replenishment from the weaponry division," said Levi.

Alex nodded. She hurriedly left the stables, wandering around in the fortress for quite long time. Finally, she found a group of soldiers were unloaded crates filled with spare blades and cylinders.

"Excuse me. I need to refill my gas and blades," said Alex.

"Your name and position?" the soldier asked her.

"Cadet Alexandra Ritter, from Captain Levi Squad."

The soldiers in that room suddenly turned their heads at her. Alex nervously looked back at them, quickly handing over her gear, mumbling a soft, "Thanks," and then scampering out of the room. She was running through the hordes of silently staring soldiers, after she went to supplies division to get the field provisions for dinner, heading to the main hall.

Glimpsing to find familiar faces in the main hall, she noticed her squadmates were sitting at far opposite direction from her. Rejecting the idea to eat with them, Alex cowered alone at the corner. She was nibbling hastily on her dinner — a block-shaped reddish-black clumps with an indescribable smell — when a female soldier approached her.

"You are the new cadet, right?" she asked.

Alex looked up to her guardedly, slightly nodding.

"My name is Nanaba," she reached out for a handshake, smiling at her.

"I'm Alex. Alexandra Ritter," Alex shook her hand.

"Do you mind if I sit down with you?"

"No. Please," said Alex, as Nanaba sat next to her. "Anything I can help you, miss?" she asked politely.

"Alex, I want to thank you."

"For…what?"

"For helping my squad… When we were attacked by a deviant in the forest," said Nanaba weakly.

"Oh! You are," Alex clapped her forehead, remembering the incident, "the one who was grabbed by the titan?"

"Yes. Thank you, Alex. If it was not because of you, I'm dead right now…" she said earnestly, giving a grateful smile. "You saved my life."

"I'm glad if I could help," said Alex humbly.

"It was very… I still could feel it… The hand, around my body…" she whispered shakily. "Years of serving in Survey Corps and I almost died because of a stupid mistake… I shouldn't have attacked it like that."

"You shouldn't have attacked it directly from the front," Alex agreed. "Good thing, your squadmates backed you up and distracted the titan, giving enough time for me to slash the fingers."

"I also owe my life to them, but… How could you cut as precise as it?" said Nanaba curiously. "I was so shocked when you charged right at me with your blades up. I thought you would cut me through."

"I'd been watching how Captain Levi's Squad fought and—" Alex began to explain, when a brunette soldier hurtled like lightning through the hall, catching everyone's attention.

"Ah! That's the girl I'm looking for!"

A loud female voice echoed in the hall, coming from that brunette soldier who was pointing her finger to where Alex and Nanaba sat. Grinning widely, Hange rushed to them, clearly not paying any respects the petite soldier's personal space as she quickly flung herself so close next to her.

Alex flinched when Hange's excited face was only ten centimeters away from her face. "Eh… D-d-do you need something with m-me, S-squad Leader?" she stammered.

"I saw it! That very critical moment! When you brought down two Deviants by yourself!" said Hange, goggling at her.

Alex looked back at Hange with her wary eyes, still didn't get why Hange was so thrilled by it. "Umm… And?"

"And that was sooo amazing!" Hange adjusted her glasses, still beaming at her. "Say, Alex, what is your secret? I've joined Survey Corps for a long time but never saw anyone handle 3DM Gear like you," she excitedly pried.

"Oh…" Alex blinked repeatedly, her forehead crinkled in confusion. "Was it really that great?"

Hange was gawking at her. "Great? Are you kidding? That was the most daring maneuver I ever saw! Stupendous, I must say!" she squawked.

"It's very hard to engage battle on open terrain, but you did it, effortlessly, on your very first expedition, against Deviants. That was really something," Nanaba explained to Alex, looking at the still very confused expression on her dainty face.

"If I were you, I probably wet my pants and cried on the horseback, hoping somebody would save the day for me," said Hange.

"Ma'am, you're praising me too much…" said Alex, averting her eyes from them, twiddling her thumbs.

"I meant it! You made veterans, like us, looked like amateurs," Hange reassured, "you charged directly into the battle just like that, you really got the guts!"

"The way you moved swiftly in the air, between the grasp of titan, then suddenly attacked precisely at its napes," Nanaba clarified, recalling the moment when the little girl was flying around to distract the Deviant. "That's remarkable."

"I think you literally danced in the sky," Hange added. "It's very entertaining to watch."

The hazel-eyed girl smiled sheepishly, feeling butterflies in her stomach just danced because of receiving such flattery. "Thank you for saying so," she said gratefully.

"So, what is your secret?" Hange pried again, looking extremely desirous to know. "C'mon! Don't be shy! Maybe you can teach it to the rest of us!"

"Umm… Secret? To be honest I don't have any special tricks on my sleeve. When I use the gear I just...feel it," said Alex, feeling a little bit unsure how to explain to her. "I just know what I should do, where I have to shift my weight, when I must reel the wire in… Something like that…"

"Is there something more practical? A certain technique, perhaps?" Hange insisted.

"I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything I can share. I basically rely on my instinct, I intuited to do my next move," said Alex plainly, "and doing a lot of thinking."

"Well, how about some tips for fighting titans?" Nanaba inquired.

"Tips… Hmm… Try to move as fast as you possibly can. They're big and strong, but their attacks will mean nothing if they can't hit you," she looked embarrassed when the two soldiers giggled at her answer. "That's not too helpful, I guess…"

"That's a conventional textbook theory, but not everyone can apply it in practice," said Nanaba. "I saw you and Levi fighting the other day. Your agility is astounding, that really helped you a lot in fighting titans, right? How could you be that fast?"

"Well, it's probably because of my weight. I'm small and light. I'm not built up with muscles. It's easier to move something with less mass, right?" said Alex. "We have an advantage to know titan's weak spot. The problem is, how to reach their nape before they smack us, which is why velocity and accuracy are vital."

Hange clicked her tongue. "My assumption was wrong. Despite your very cute and child-like appearance, you are really a capable soldier. First rank graduate really suited you," she complimented with awe.

Alex pouted, shaking her head slowly. "I think you are wrong, ma'am. That fight… That was very reckless of me."

"Reckless? You slaughtered the titans without a single injury," Nanaba reminded.

"And used all my blades. Because it's open terrain, there was no possible way to save the gas, but I should have adjusted the angle of my blades better when attacking them. Normally, the blades get dull after six to ten slices, but I used all my blades to kill two titans… I just got lucky. I will do better in the future," she said almost in an apologetic manner.

"I think it can't be helped. The titans skin usually so thick. You can't randomly slice it multiple times and hoping your blades won't get dull soon enough," said Nanaba.

"Really? That's news to me!" said Alex with vague tone of excitement. "The only thing I know about them is to slice the flesh at the nape. But never in my life, I saw something so gigantic!"

"You understand it, right? The wonderstruck feeling when you saw them for the first time? The tremendous rush of adrenaline flooded in your head? It was so paralyzing! Right, Alex?" Hange squealed.

"Yes, I was so stunned… They are really…mysterious and weird. Now I regretted that I always skipped class lecture in academy. I wish I could know more about them," said Alex.

Hange's ears twitched at her last words. "Say, Alex… Are you very interested in those glorious creatures?" she throatily asked her.

Gasping to see the legendary sparkles on Hange's eyes, Nanaba grabbed Alex's shoulder in panic. "Alex, stop it! Don't say anything more!" she warned frantically, but it was too late.

Alex already looked at Hange with an intense curiosity blazing in her eyes. "Yes. Do you know a lot about them, Squad Leader?"

The brunette soldier snorted with pride. "From alpha to omega, Alex. Which part do you want to know?"

"All of it!" beamed Alex.

"Oh no… Not this again." Nanaba groaned in regrets, thinking why she even brought the talk about titans up in the first place.

With her typical maniacal grin, Hange prodded her glasses to her nose bridge and sat closer to Alex. "Fine, then. Let me narrate you a quick story about them."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Erwin Smith was a very calculating man. Calm and collected, a strategist who always strive for victory even in most unfortunate condition, an ambitious overachiever who never let a single obstacle get in his way, a cunning politician and instigator who predicted his opponent's movements few steps ahead. To put it bluntly, Erwin Smith was an uncanny combination of kindest angel and malicious devil.

An angel, because his undying devotion to humanity was coming from his sincerity to make humans stood at the top of the food chain again as the dominant species.

A devil, because his ruthlessness knew no boundaries, to an unfathomable extreme like sacrificing everything necessary to gain his objective, literally everything, even human lives.

There's a thing that made is more eerie; he always acted so levelheaded and indifferent, wearing a perfect poker-face mask while making a tactical plan that he knew would annihilate many lives of his comrades.

But at this rate, even a heartless man like him could hardly hide his elation from his face.

He sat alone on the chair in his room, staring at the chessboard on the table in front of him, smirking triumphantly. The chess pieces were scattered on the white and black board.

He never felt so excited like this, not since the day when he witnessing Levi brilliantly manage to outrun Military Police with 3DM Gear in the Underground.

Today, he felt like some of his wildest dreams had come to life.

The petite cadet's convincing performance had him salivating over her. Not as brilliant as Levi — no one close to his caliber as soldier — but her aptitude in battle skill exceedingly surpassed even a veteran soldier. She was a nascent fighter, exactly like what he had anticipated.

Like people always said, Erwin Smith never made a mistake with his judgment.

He picked the chess piece — a black rook — placing it two squares beside the black knight. The two pieces were in a perfect position to take down the white king.

"This is going to be so interesting," he mused.

Loud knocks came on his door. Before he could answer, Levi already barged into his room, folding his arms and striking a cold stare at him.

"It's almost eight," Levi said with so much exasperation.

"I'm almost ready," said Erwin, getting up from his chair and picking papers from his bag.

Levi leaned his back to the brick wall as he waited for Erwin to get ready; his eyes were looking at the unfinished chess game.

"Can you stop dragging me to meeting? I hate it," said Levi.

"Considering you are now already held a special rank, even had a squad, it will be better to contribute more with the mission plan," said Erwin, putting the documents inside an envelope.

"You are the one who instigated Keith to give me rank and squad. I never requested for that," Levi retorted.

"Learn to work with other people, Levi, you may need it in the future," said Erwin reassuringly.

"I work so well with you. Only _you_," he emphasized, looked somewhat pissed off.

Erwin turned to him, staring with concern look. "Trusting others never come easy to you, huh?"

"I trust you," said Levi, shifting his eyes from the table, looking at Erwin's.

"Trust your comrades," said Erwin, sounded almost imploring.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Is that an order?"

"I will be more grateful if you can do it from your own will," said Erwin, walking out of the room.

Levi groaned, shuffling his feet unwillingly to follow him to a small room on the first floor, where some high rank soldiers and head division were already gathered. Levi quickly took a seat beside Erwin, wondering how long this boring meeting would last.

"Moblit, where is Hange?" asked Erwin, looking around the room to find the spectacled woman.

"Squad Leader said she had something really important to do. I'm here to represent her," Moblit explained, preparing a stack of thick document on the table.

"By important, you don't mean she is wandering into the forest, trying to catch a titan as we speak, right?" said Levi. "But I won't be surprised if we will find her body among titans' shit tomorrow somewhere along the way."

Moblit was petrified by Levi's rude comments. "I don't think that is possible… She will take me with her if she wants to observe titans."

"Have you checked the stables? Her horse is still there?" said Erwin.

"The last time I checked was…the moment we got here," said Moblit. A tone of worry crept in his voice.

"Forget the horse. She maybe just flew right to the wilderness with her gear," Mike chimed in.

All the colors on Moblit's face were gone as he dropped the papers on the floor in dread.

"I gotta find her!" he stood up at once until his chair fell to the floor, hurrying to the door and bumping his head hard with Nanaba who just walked in.

"Ouch! Moblit! Watch where you're going!" Nanaba sputtered, rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Nana! I'm in hurry!" said Moblit frantically.

"If you're looking for Hange, just relax. She's still in one piece," said Nanaba, patting his shoulder to calm him down. "Get back to your chair. The meeting is almost started."

"R-really?" said Moblit, sounded very relieved.

"Trust me, she's fine," said Nanaba, taking a seat between Levi and Mike. "But don't bother ask me about what she's doing right now. You don't want to know."

"I don't even care," said Levi coolly.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked her.

"It's just a bump," said Nanaba even though her forehead was still red.

"It was a seventeen meters Deviant gripped you in the hand," said Mike, alluding to the dangerous moment. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly healthy. It's all thanks to her, I'm still alive," said Nanaba calmly.

"I left the squad, and the next thing happened, you almost died," he uttered.

"Are you saying I'm not capable to fight by myself?" she blurted out.

"I'm saying, you always do rash thing when I'm not around," Mike reminded, a little sharply.

Erwin cleared his throat, looking to Nanaba and Mike. "I know you're worried about your girlfriend, Mike, but we're gonna start the meeting," he glanced to Keith, who just came in and closed the door.

"Shut up, Erwin. I'm not his girlfriend," said Nanaba briskly, sounded irritated.

Levi chanted all the curses he knew like prayers inside his head through the whole meeting, hoping all the people would talk faster so it would end soon, but that hope seemed too far to come. The discussion about mission plan took more than an hour. Everyone was sitting on the edge of their chair, very tensed up, glancing warily back and forth to Keith and Erwin, as the two men keep insisting on commencing mission with two very different methods.

"Erwin, I'm taking the safer approach here," said Keith stiffly. "It's a forest, your scouting formation will be useless, and avoidance is not an option. If we have to engage them in battle no matter what, I want it to be less dangerous."

"We know that Deviants tend to act differently from the usual habits, but it will not make them less dangerous," said Erwin.

"That's the point. They're dangerous; it will be better if we stay away from them. Taking the far route in the western forest is our best course of action," said Keith, getting more impatient.

"Even so, we still need some squads to act as decoy and lure them away, buy enough time for the rest of main force to keep advancing," said Erwin, unfazed with Keith's daunting glare.

"I'm not gonna sacrifice my men if there's still another way to keep them alive," Keith insisted, very adamant.

Erwin sighed wearily then turned his head to Moblit. "Moblit, any information of Deviants in the eastern forest?"

"Yes. In the last expedition, Squad Leader Hange's observation revealed that the Deviants activities were very high in the eastern forest, and it was too dangerous to get a closer look," Moblit read his reports, flipping the papers rapidly. "We have no valid information regarding the eastern forest topography, and most of them is still considered as unknown territory. She took a note that the western part is more reliable to be used as the path to reach Rotwand Hill. So, she recommended that we should heading to southwest."

"Thank you, Moblit. So, we can infer that most of the eastern forest is not accessible," Erwin faced Keith, recollecting all the realistic possibilities. "But taking the southwest route will taking too much time. We can advance straight to the south while the decoy squads assist us with distracting the Deviants. Besides, roaming too long in the forest is very risky."

"Yes, I get that. We will reach the hill in no time, then what about the decoy squads? Seriously, Erwin, what are their odds? We're not gonna leave them behind just like that," Keith now sounded so agitated.

"Commander, there is no gambles without risks," Erwin stated with serious tone.

Puzzled, Keith leaned forward from his chair and glared at Erwin. "Do you want to kill half of your comrades and my underlings?" he asked with shaky voice of anger.

"No, I just want Survey Corps manage to build permanent stronghold on Rotwand Hill," Erwin replied casually.

Someone standing outside the small meeting room might well have thought some sort of arson had taken place inside. The heated argument between two most influential members of Survey Corps was burning the atmosphere with tension and angst. Keith looked tremendously infuriated like he was going to break something while Erwin still looked as cool as cucumber.

"What if titans get bored of lazing around the eastern forest and decide to throw a surprise welcome party for us? We will be doomed if that happen," Levi interjected abruptly, tilting his head to Keith. "Are you even listening to him? Erwin just wanted the mission get done, but you keep getting in the way by being too sentimental over the inevitable."

"Levi!" exclaimed Erwin sharply, giving the raven-haired man a stern look, which got a very angry "Tch," reply from him.

"I'm okay with taking the southwest route. But, with all due respects, Commander, my concern is here," Erwin spread a map on the table, tapping at the blue line among the green color. "There are thirty-meter deep gorge with active river in the western forest, just few meters near the accessible path. If the titans from the east somehow advance to the west, then we will be cornered between the precipice and the titans. We have to keep them away from western forest, by all means," he paused briefly, glancing to everyone in the room before looking at Keith, "that's why we need decoy squads to be the bait."

"We've lost twenty men just to make it this far…" Keith whispered. "Are you suggesting that decoy squads have to go for suicide mission?" he asked. His voice was no longer in fury, more like very hopeless.

"Yes. Their sacrifices will make our mission successful," said Erwin confidently; his demeanor was still as cool as cucumber.

Keith was giving a very concern stare before shaking his head. "Your plan is rejected," he said firmly, didn't sound very tolerant anymore.

With his unmoved calm expression, Erwin eventually nodded in submission. "Understood, Commander," he answered weakly.

And with that, the meeting finally over and everyone left the room, heading to their sleeping quarters to rest.

"You're okay with that? Keith was way too worried to make an objective decision," said Levi blatantly, after everyone had left, so there were only the two of them in the corridor.

"I'm the strategist, he's the Commander. Enough said," Erwin replied sharply. "I can submit all the ideas I have but he's the one who give permission."

"But you don't think this is going to work," Levi accused.

"It may be, it may be not," said Erwin uneasily. "The odds of failure is higher comparing to my plan's, but we have no choice here."

They walked in silent, only the sounds of their footsteps were heard.

"Say, Erwin," said Levi, after a long pause, "what do you value in people?"

"Sorry?"

"Are you evaluating and appreciating people only based on how useful they are for you?" said Levi. "If she's not that great, you won't give her a second look, right?

"Are you talking about Cadet Ritter?" asked Erwin.

Levi stared at him, somewhat disturbed. "Who is the rook? I never saw you play chess with black rook."

"That's very obvious," said Erwin lightly. "Seeing how she fought today, I'm promoting her from pawn to rook."

"That's escalated quickly, for an amateur," Levi criticized coldly.

"She took down two Deviants easily in open terrain," said Erwin, in a tone of faint excitement.

"I have to admit she has guts and skills, but an idiot. She almost got herself killed, by freezing foolishly on the ground," said Levi, his tone was noncommittal.

"It's a common reaction for the first time encountering titans. Thank Goodness, you were there to save the day," said Erwin.

"Hmph. Of course, that's what a babysitter do, right?" said Levi mockingly.

Their footsteps echoed in the dim, empty corridor. When they're about to walk on the half-crumbled stairs, Levi stopped at the intersection. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the bright light of many lit torches from the main hall, and hearing a familiar voice of someone screeching gibberish.

"Someone still stay up this late…" said Erwin, also noticing the odd occurrence.

The two soldiers turned to the right at the intersection, heading to the main hall then frowning with what they saw there.

The big hall was almost empty. Almost, because there were two people sat at the bleak corner of the hall. Hange jabbered unstoppably to her only one listener; the auburn-haired cadet sat in front of her with eyes bulging like a coin, scrutinizing her speech with rapture.

"—but I shit you not. Guess what the contradiction here, Alex? They don't even have anus!" Hange announced jovially.

The little girl scratched her temple as she attempted to mull over the weird fact. "Okay… So, where do the corpses end up?"

"They throw them up! Like a cat throw up a fur ball! Or you can say a giant sticky human ball covered in viscous saliva, with thick slime and high temperature, plus stench of rotting flesh," said Hange, describing the revolting condition with too many gross details.

Alex winced and stuck out her tongue in spontaneous impulse after visualizing the nasty process. "Ugh… That's disgusting…"

"Very disgusting, indeed. But the interesting part is they lack of any kind of digestive organs. They don't even have small bowel or colon. Only a big stomach for temporary storing the corpses, but lack of producing gastric juice and enzymes, more importantly—"

"Wait, wait, Squad Leader. Give me a moment to process these information," Alex raised her hands, halting the maniac woman from jabbering further. "So they're monstrous giants that exist for a century, hunting down people… Why do they eat humans? They haven't been in human territory for a long time, which means they don't eat anything in the meantime, right? How could they survive after all this time?"

The brunette woman ruffled her messy hair, thinking hard. "That's the biggest mystery of universe. I can't comprehend what kind of possible explanation for their bizarre behavior, anatomy and physiology. Though I have some hunches but I don't have any proofs to support them," she asserted with uncertainty.

"Hunches like what?"

"Maybe, just maybe they eat something, like fruits, perhaps, but my best bet is they may eat animals for meat. Like beasts, like lions, for example, they don't usually hunt for humans, but once they do, they will keep feeding off of people because their flesh is tastier than any other animals. I'm trying to put some analogy like that to titans. I mean, we can't always watch them in their daily activities," Hange expounded.

"Hmm… So, there's a possibility they eat something else when humans are not around, is that what you're trying to say?" Alex queried, scratching her temples again.

"Of course! Just because we never see that phenomenon, doesn't mean it can't happen, right?" Hange affirmed her hypothesize. "From where do you think they get energy to function? Their mysterious metabolism is contradicting every physics law of conservation of energy. If only I can keep them under surveillance for twenty four hours, or maybe commence special expedition to learn more about their deportment in natural habitat, that will be so, so, amazing!" Hange roared with maniacal laughter that sounded a bit terrifying.

Alex nodded her head repeatedly. "That actually makes sense… But is it possible to be done?"

Hange slumped and leaned idly to the brick wall, sighing heavily. "Of course not, Alex… At this time, we don't have enough resources to get it done. Even the usual expedition costs too much, not a single steel coin left for my research fund…" her brown eyes gleamed intensely in burning zest, "but that's my wildest dream, to capture a titan!" she straightened her back in instant, prodding her glasses again. "Okay, back to their lacking of anus and gastric juice."

"Right! What about it, ma'am?" asked Alex enthusiastically, moving closer to her.

Erwin and Levi only stood and stared in obfuscation to see such anomalous situation before their eyes. For the first time in forever, in the long history of Survey Corps, someone finally and genuinely took so much interest in Hange's damn-it's-so-boring-I-could-die-anytime-soon speech about titans. The tiny girl kept asking and reciting the strange facts which she didn't understand while the overly steamed-up scientist happily provided further explanation, rapping in an extraordinary speed that would compete with velocity of light.

"Well, I think Hange already found her best friend," Erwin commented, smirking at the astonishment on Levi's face.

"I can't watch this…" Levi groaned and facepalmed petulantly, mumbling vicious oaths then walking toward them. "Oi, four eyes," he scowled, quickly snatching the freakish woman's brunette hair, "stop contaminating my subordinate's sanity with your lunatic obsession."

"Levi, please don't ruin our fun," Hange slapped his hand from her hair, not even looking at him.

"Rookie, stay away from her," he warned.

Alex blinked at him. "Eh? Why, Captain?"

"She is extremely dangerous," said Levi, snatching her hair harder to pull her away from Alex. Hange turned her head with indignation at him, slapping his hand again. "Her meddling with your life will eventually get you killed," he advised with more serious tone.

"But Squad Leader Hange is only recounting her experiments on titans to me. It's very interesting and awesome!" Alex defended the eccentric woman. "How could it be dangerous?"

"See? We're having fun here!" Hange stuck his tongue at him and continued to lecture Alex. "That's when I realized, dissecting their bodies when they're still alive is the only possible way to learn better about their anatomy! My first attempt was a four meters titan—"

"Oi! I said stop!" Levi furiously shouted.

"Jeez! Why do you always so grumpy and killing everyone's mood?" Hange shouted back at him.

"Sorry to interrupt your leisure time, Hange, but it's already late. You both need to rest," Erwin reminded her. "We still have mission tomorrow."

Hange pulled out her pocket watch from her jacket, and sighed out in disappointment. "Ah, right. Time sure passed so fast every time I talk about my research. It was very great talking to you, Alex," she got up and extended her hand for handshake. "If we make it back alive, I'll buy you dinner and we can chat about titan all night long."

Alex stood up and shook her hand. She looked very excited, beaming with her Cheshire cat wide grin. "That sounds like fun, ma'am. I'm looking forward to it."

Delighted by her eager respond, Hange chortled. "That's the spirit!" she patted the girl's head and smirked to Levi. "I like this girl, Levi. Keep her alive for me, will ya?"

"Tch. If you want her to be alive, stay away from her. You are a threat to her life," said Levi waspishly.

"Ouch! That hurts, you know…" Hange made a jocular offended expression, massaging her chest.

"Good job today, Cadet Ritter," Erwin complimented.

"Thank you, Squad Leader Erwin," said Alex, beaming.

"You're being too modest, Erwin. She's doing amazing work!" said Hange.

"Indeed, that's a very good start for new soldier," said Erwin approvingly. "Hange, there is something I need to discuss with you. Do you mind to come to my room?"

Hange looked confused for a moment then nodded. "Alright. See ya tomorrow Alex," the glasses woman waved to her. "Night night," she glanced to Levi then walked away with Erwin.

"Sir… I'm sorry," said Alex to Levi, "I disobeyed your order, I should have kept riding my horse, but… I couldn't stand to let the others…" she pleaded anxiously, frightened to see Levi's stern stare.

"Why didn't you fight earlier?" he finally asked, his suspicious eyes were still scanning her.

"Oh, that's… I was too shocked to see them for the first time in my life," she confessed, looking down to the floor, "I'm sorry if my action didn't live up to your expectation."

"You did well, rookie. Most people shit their pants on their first expedition," he said genuinely, "and stay away from that lunatic woman, I mean it."

"Umm… Okay…sir…" Alex answered reluctantly.

"Now go to sleep, we will start mission before dawn," Levi commanded.

"Yes, sir. Good night, sir," she saluted.

Alex watched Levi's back as the man turned around and vanished into the darkness of the corridor. She touched her forehead, brooding about what happened today then staring at where Levi was standing.

"I'm just imagining things," she muttered lightly, heading to the dungeon. "This Legion has many interesting people."

She entered the storeroom in the dungeon, being welcomed by the buzzes and snores from sleeping soldiers. She tiptoed silently, be very careful to not awake them. There was an unoccupied sleeping bag next to Flora; probably the black-haired senior had prepared it for her. Taking off her boots, she rolled into it; the tiredness and sore of her muscles made her sleepy in instant. Sighing merrily, she claimed today was the best day of her life: venturing to the outside world, fighting titans, obtaining interesting new knowledge… But still, there was an important thing she must do…

"Well, there is always tomorrow…" she pulled the blanket to her chin, shutting her eyes. "Tomorrow, I will definitely do it."

A satisfied smile curled on her tiny lips as she fell in dreamland.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this is poorly written, I have yet to find beta reader... Thank you for people who followed and favorited this story :3  
kittylover195678: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 3**

**-Year 845 before The Fall of Wall Maria, the 2nd day of Survey Corps 29th Expedition beyond the Wall-**

Early on the next day, soldiers of Survey Corps were preparing their next journey to reach the Rotwand Hill in the south. Moving at the dawn, the entire battalion went straight to the southwest, venturing on the vast open savanna field. On the right flank of enemy detection squad, the front-liner squads — which Levi led one of them —were detecting any threats from the enemies.

"Green flare confirmed!" said Michael, firing the gun flare the left direction.

"Moving to the east again? This is gonna take forever," Josef grumbled, stirring his horse to the left.

"Commander said we're gonna use the path in far west, aren't we being too far away from the main direction?" Flora presented her concern, biting her lip.

"We will head back to the route, once we sure there are no titans ahead," Rudolf tried to reassure her.

"I heard Commander and Squad Leader Erwin had a dispute last night," Josef mentioned the hearsay, "people said the two were arguing about our route."

"Really? So whose plan we apply today?" Michael asked him curiously. "I bet this is not Squad Leader Erwin's —"

"Put those allegations aside," Levi cut in pointedly, his gray eyes were scanning every nook and cranny of the rough grassland. "No matter what will happen, our job is to make sure no single damn titan break through our formation."

Everyone looked to surrounding area with alertness, not missing any suspicious movements, except the tiny cadet. Alex looked up to the sky, frowning with concern. She squinted her eyes from the bright beam of the sun but didn't take her eyes off of the blue. She became more restless when she raised her hand; her skin sensed the unpleasant feeling as the breeze blew.

"It's gonna rain," Alex stated uneasily, turning her head to Levi.

"The sky is brighter than yesterday," said Levi.

"The wind, it's blowing from the south…" she gazed again to the sky. "It's gonna rain, a very heavy one."

"Not getting enough sleep because that maniac woman made you stay up too late last night? I'm sure you're still half-asleep, rookie," Levi chided. "Stop talking nonsense."

"But —"

Her objection was interrupted by the sound of gun flares. To the right of them, red smokes spiraled up to the air.

"Rookie, fire the signal!" Levi commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Alex reached to the bag on the saddle and fired the red flare.

The upcoming red flares were fired to the air concomitantly. Finally the green smoke was fired from the center of formation, directed to the left.

"We've been changing course for thirty eight times," said Rudolf, "how long do you think we're gonna reach the forest?"

"It's still too far away," said Michael. "But my guess is we will arrive at noon."

"Stay sharp, everyone. The hardest part of this mission will begin when we enter the forest," Levi glanced to each of his subordinates with serious look, "don't make any blunders that will cost your life, or anyone's."

"Yes, sir!" all of his underlings replied in unison.

"Sir, when we reach the forest, are we gonna fight them, or keep using the avoidance tactics?" asked Alex.

"That depends on the circumstances, but my best inkling is we have to engage in battle in the end," Levi speculated with conviction. His mind traveled back to the meeting last night, about how Erwin strongly foresaw that fighting would be inevitable…

"You can't wait to show off your skills, Cadet?" said Michael, grinning at her.

"Umm… I prefer to make minimum contacts with titans, actually," Alex replied hesitantly. "But if I have to fight then —"

"Don't be a coward! I'm looking forward to see you in action!" Josef demanded with excitement in his eyes.

"Huh? Really?" Alex stared with at him, crinkling her forehead, recollecting how just yesterday this soldier mocked her.

"Everyone is talking about how you killed two deviants yesterday," Rudolf chimed in, riding his horse beside her. "We didn't see the fight, so we're expecting to witness it ourselves today."

"We're counting on you, Alex. But try to not push yourself too hard," in front of her, Flora turned her head at her and smiled.

"Yes, miss. I will do my best," Alex grasped her rein hard with sweating palms, sighing, "or not…" she added, mumbling under her breath.

It was almost noon when the main force got back to their initial route. The expedition went smoothly so far: avoidance tactics were success, not a single titan broke through the formation, and the actual time to reach the designated point was within the estimation. Although, there were some black smokes, but thanks to Erwin's superb plan of squad placement, the front liner Survey Corps soldiers were able to eliminate the threats.

Everything went according to plan, until the blue sky was covered with overcast, when they were about to enter the forest.

As the tempestuous wind blew strong from the south, the bright sky was completely changed into darkness with gloomy clouds. Full-blown bone chilling winds, sudden cloudburst and rumbling thunders were trapping them when they reached the entrance of the forest. Tall, dense trees really cut their visibility range to their surroundings.

"Sir! It is very hard to relay message!" Michael shouted. "At this rate, we will lose our track with the other squads!"

"What should we do, Captain!?" Flora piped.

"Wait until the Commander order to deploy the formation," Levi shouted, "and don't let your guard down!"

They went deeper into the forest, riding their horses through the trees and lancinating raindrops.

"Everyone, get ready to fight! There's only one target! Either we secure this ground as mankind's first stronghold beyond the wall or we are done for!" Keith's command finally soared to the air.

"Target approaching!" Erwin shouted, looking at the shadow of eighteen meters class titan ahead of them.

"Split into five groups! Now!" Keith raised his arm, gesturing the squad to deploy the formation. "The rest of the soldiers, defend the supply wagons!"

Abandoning the scouting formation, the entire brigade marching in a linear formation: the supply wagons were positioned in the middle of the alignment, while the remaining soldiers lined up on the left and right side, guarding the important materials from both sides.

"Everyone! We'll cover the right flank!" Levi commanded, spurring his black stallion faster beneath the downpour, while the rest of his squad followed him behind.

"Captain! There are titans in the left flank already!" Michael forewarned.

"Let the other squads deal with it! Our job is to secure the supply wagon at all cost!" Levi snapped briskly, glaring to him. "Don't forget it!

Levi's Squad took cover of the right flank, charging forward to defend the linear formation, while the left plank were having intense combat with many titans. As they keep moving, the shadows of titans were getting closer to them, peeking among the trees.

"Sir! Titans are approaching from the east! Coming straight to us!" Michael informed.

"Shit! Did they crush our left defense already!?" Josef shouted in disbelief.

"Captain Levi! Your order, sir!" Rudolf screamed over the sound of heavy rain.

Levi shifted his eyes to the silhouettes; it's too close to avoid them, and the supply carts were only few meters ahead. "Switch to 3DM Gear now! We're going to take them down!" he ordered immediately.

"Yes, sir!"

Levi's Squad and the rest of soldiers from the left flank squads were firing the grapple-hooks to the tall trees, assembling their combat positions, ready to assail the upcoming eight titans.

"Rookie, don't make any blunders!" Levi demanded, staring dead serious at her.

"I got it, sir!" Alex replied, already plugging her blades in to the hilts. Rain crept down her neck and chilly wind whipped her face, making her shivered. Her clutch on the hilts was loosened each time she swung her blades to the thick flesh.

The horde of titans were coming endlessly; some were slow, some were fast, and some were fierce and predatory as they attacked mercilessly once they saw humans. The soldiers of Survey Corps fought with all their power, making a supreme effort to not let any titans came closer to the formation.

Unfortunately, a sixteen meters class was breaking through them, chasing to the parade of supply wagons.

Levi widened his eyes in concern; he was too far to kill it. "Flora! Go for it!" he commanded in distress.

"I'm on it, sir!" said Flora. The black-haired soldier swung close to the ground, performing a perfect assist to cut down the achilles tendon in instant. "Rudolf! Now!" she shouted when the titan stumbled down.

As Rudolf aimed for the napes, another thirteen meters titan rushed to him and tried to grab him. He managed to cut the nape, but not killing it. "Shit! Too shallow!" he yelled in frustration.

"I'll finish it!" Alex shouted readily, blades drawn at her sides. She flung herself to the titan on the ground, cutting the nape in blink of an eye. She swiftly swayed to the thirteen meters class, maneuvering in rotational motion and landing at the nape, finishing it off with one powerful blow. Panting heavily, she landed on a branch of tree, next to Levi, swiping the titan blood from her face.

"That was a close one," said Levi in faint tone of relieved.

"You order me to fight, then I'll fight!" Alex panted, releasing her dull blades.

"Don't get too reckless and kill yourself in the process," he reprimanded. "All of you! Take care of the titans in this area! The rest on the far left are belongs to me!" he shouted, launching his hooks again between the trees and hurling away.

"Get ready on your position!" Michael cried out, taking the command. "More titans are coming for us!"

Alex squinted her eyes; he's right, seven titans were dashing to them. She reloaded her blades with numb fingers and charged forward to fight.

During the strenuous combat, it seemed like everyone was completely overwhelmed because of the bad weather: communication was almost impossible without yelling until hoarsening the vocal chords, the gun flares were useless, and the algid temperature was paralyzing them to the bone. With the vision range was severely compromised as the fog started to condense, it was very hard to detect enemies unless they were already too close.

The entire soldiers in the right flank was swerved toward the edge of the precipice — few meters away from the slippery slope — and cornered between the titans and the gorge.

Alex embedded her anchors to a tree and looked at the steep gorge; at the bottom of the narrow rocky wall, a river flowed to south with rapid stream. She lowered her blades, sheathing the sharp razors back to its scabbard and releasing them from the handgrips. Exhaling deeply, she glanced to her squadmates behind her.

_Well, I guess this is the time._

Her attention was focused to the raven-haired man, at far left, who just spinning in the air in a series of brutal onslaught, severing the nape of four titans sequentially.

_But, then…what about him?_

Before she could decide what she would do, loud thudding noise was booming, making the ground and the trees shaking violently. A twenty meters class deviant was running fast toward them from behind, with big arms were stretched to its sides, breaking the nearby trees.

"EVERYONE! GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Michael forewarned.

All the soldiers shot their hooks to the higher branches, evading the destructive raid in mere seconds. Branches and leaves were flying everywhere, before the Deviant accidently crashed to a trunk, lost its balance and fell down, toppling few more trees. The monster finally trapped and couldn't move, buried deep beneath several trunks.

"Should we kill it!?" Josef screamed to Michael, pointing his blade to the helpless titan.

"No! Leave it! We have to move forward! We're too far behind from defending the formation!" Michael ordered, swinging forward quickly, being followed by the other soldiers.

Meanwhile, Levi had slaughtered the last titan in the left area; probably updating his solo kill counts as the highest one of the entire military branch. Thick steam from the too many carcasses blocked his vision, but he was able to trace back his direction and flew through the white steam, intending to regroup with his squad. He caught a glimpse of soldiers engaging in combat with some titans ahead of him. A split second later, he felt his heart stopped beating because of the disastrous sight before his eyes.

It was one of the most horrifying worst-case scenarios he ever witnessed in his life.

The Deviant — which was trapped beneath the trunk — finally stood back on its disproportionate feet, holding a big tree trunk over its head with both hands, aiming straight to the soldiers.

"BEHIND YOU! DODGE!" Levi shouted with the loudest voice he managed to force from his throat, firing the grapple-hooks and gliding through the trees in lightning speed.

Without further ado, the Deviant howled with rage and threw the giant trunk right at the swarm of titans, and soldiers who were fighting them. In the moment less than split seconds, many soldiers were too late to realize what was going on. Hell a lot of bloodshed burst into the rain when the bodies of soldiers got crush by the lethal collision.

"JOSEF!" Levi yelled, realizing his subordinate was trapped in titan's grasp, with the flying tree trunk was about to hit him. "Shit!"

Levi propelled himself forward and readied his blades, amputating the wrist in one slash. He pulled Josef by his cloak from the grasp, and threw him away to the ground. In the same moment, the heavy trunk, hurtling between trees, landed right on the raven-haired man and smashed him hard, sending him flying into the air.

The remaining survived soldiers were staring in horror when the humanity's strongest soldier was descending helplessly to the precipice; completely unconscious, judging from his droopy body and gore splattered from his head, moreover, he didn't show any sign of movements. He just kept falling down…squarely to the deep gorge.

"CAPTAIN LEVI!" Alex shrieked.

"Alex! Wait!" Michael called for her, but the petite girl already made her way to save the captain.

Like her body moved automatically, Alex shot her grapple-hooks toward the precipice and swung as fast as her 3DM Gear could do. Her heart sank when he saw Levi was already out of sight, falling fast to the depth.

_No! He can't die! He shall not die!_

Without a second thought, she dived into the gorge, launching her hooks at the steep to accelerate faster in order to reach him. Finally, her tiny hands held a grasp of him, clutching tight to his cloak. When she tried to launch the anchors to the steep, it was already too late.

Both of them hit the stream — very fast flowing river with strong current — and drowned in the depth of water.

Freezing water engulfed her as she tried to keep her head up, holding Levi. She glanced to the both sides of the river; the only possible way to get away from the river was to climb the cliff.

_No… it's impossible, I can't use 3DM Gear in water…_

Trapped between the strong tides and her grueling attempt to keep Levi's head above water so he could breath, there were no many things Alex could do, besides being carried away with the flowing stream. The end of the river was coming near and a plunge waterfall was greeting her few meters ahead.

"Oh no!" she bellowed the moment she fell from the waterfall, embracing Levi even tighter in her arms.

The petite soldier held her breath when the gravity pulled her down and crashed her body to another raging stream below; the momentum of the fall drowned her few meters underwater. She determined to not let go of her captain, no matter what happened, as she desperately swam to the surface and clutched Levi closely to her chest. Her head finally reached the surface; she gasped greedily, filling her lungs with air. There was large region of bedrock on both sides of the river, making it impossible for her to pull over; so, she only let out a hopeless long sigh when the flow of the stream was carrying them away.

It felt like hours had passed when the swift current finally slowed down a bit. The two soldiers were being carried away far to the downstream, and the bedrock was gone, being replaced by sandy riverbanks. Alex — with every energy left in her body — swam to the left side of the shallow slope riverbanks, carrying the unconscious man in her arms and lying him down.

"Captain Levi?" Alex called to him with shrill voice, almost crying. She checked his response, clapping his face and shaking his shoulders. The man was still unresponsive.

"No… No! You can't die! Not now…not yet!" she screamed.

Alex tilted his head, sensing the man was not breathing. She gently opened his mouth and pressed her lips against his, trying to stimulate his respiration. After few minutes performing CPR, Levi finally breathed on his own, though still unconscious. She was sighing in relieve to palpate the weak pulsating artery on his wrist.

"Oh my! He's — r-really — h-h-heavy!" she grunted while miserably dragging Levi out of the water level. "How could he is so heavy like rock? He's not much bigger than me…"

Dread slowly crept into her spine when she realized her current situation.

A new soldier who barely knew anything about the outside world, with her badly injured superior, stranded in the unknown territory where titan could jump in anytime, while the weather was still as catastrophic as before.

How bad this situation could get?

Trying to take shelter from the rain, Alex leaned exhaustedly to small tree, placing Levi's head on her lap. The high cliff surrounded them from both sides of the river. She was thinking to climb it, but quickly ruled out the idea because she couldn't maneuver with 3DM Gear while holding Levi, furthermore, she didn't know where she was supposed to go after that.

"Now…what should I do?" she bemoaned weakly, looking all around to the strange wilderness with vacant eyes.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

**-Last Night-**

"So, what do you want to talk with me?" said Hange, closing the bedroom door behind her.

"You missed the meeting," said Erwin in quite sharp tone, sitting on the chair.

Hange bit her lip then gave the blond man a melancholy smile. "I'm sorry, it felt like God just bestowed a miracle to me, to finally found a listener to my experiment," she said vacantly, taking a seat beside him.

Erwin replied her sad smile with sympathetic look. "I listened to your experiment."

"Because you need the information, not because you're interested," Hange corrected, staring at him questioningly, "but you don't ask me to come just to rant about it, right? What's up?"

Erwin sighed, handing out the papers from his envelope. "Keith wanted to use the route on the southwest, the one you found."

"Since it's the only possible route we have, it's logical," said Hange, reading the meeting reports briefly.

"How different is Deviant compared to the regular titans? How dangerous they can be?" asked Erwin.

"Hmm… If we're talking about their intelligence, there isn't much wide gap between them, but in terms of threats that they pose, my assumption is they're three to four times more lethal than average titans, not to mention they have propensity to act impulsively and unforeseeable, attracted to higher concentration of people and more hostile even with minimum provocation," Hange recapitulated quickly, rolling her eyes as she spoke then staring at Erwin with more questioning look. "Why?"

"So, there isn't any way to avoid combat with them once we enter the forest…" Erwin muttered tensely, clenching his jaw. "If we try to lure them away, will it be possible?

"I don't know about that," she admitted in ruefulness. "I mean, I could only observe for three hours, and Moblit had to yank me thirty two times because I was too close to death, so I never had a chance to do the diversion experiment," she huffed, throwing the papers on the table. "How was the meeting going?"

Erwin told her about how the meeting went. When he had finished, the brunette squad leader seemed very confused then shook her head slowly, looking so disappointed and unease.

"Keith is getting old, ya know, midlife crisis could done more harm to your brain than you thought. He acted like an overprotective father. Objective thinking was not in his mind… Well, maybe the stress is taking a toll on him," Hange concluded. She didn't sound to disparage the Commander, but more solicitous about his condition. "I personally go along with your plan, perilous but more auspicious."

"I don't think his plan will work out," Erwin stated hastily. "If Deviant can be very dangerous like said, they will wipe us out in minutes if we don't retaliate."

"So, what do you want to do?" said Hange, carefully eyeing his concern expression. "I know that look in your eyes, you have another plan, right?"

"Yes, I don't know if this is gonna work, but I need your help."

Hange snorted and folded her arms. "Wow, I'm flattered. Since when do you ask me for help?"

Erwin raised his bushy eyebrow then smiled faintly in apologetic manner. "I'm sorry. After all this time, I always ordered you around —"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Hange butt in, chuckling to see his uptight response. "Just how long we knew each other, Erwin? Don't be too formal with me. Spit it out already."

"I have a back up plan in case the mission goes awry. I must complement the cleft of failure for this plan and for that, I will need your cooperation," said Erwin in more serious gesture.

Her brown eyes suddenly widened in cautiousness. "Erwin, you're not planning to throw a rebellion against Keith's order, are you?" she asked.

"No. Insubordination is the last option I will choose," said Erwin with convincing tone of voice. "Hange, I trust you with this."

Hange nodded, straightening her back and listening attentively. Erwin started to explain his idea in length, even the little details of the execution plan and all the likelihoods that might happen.

"So, what do you say?" Erwin inquired cautiously, seeing the spectacled woman became speechless with her mouth hanging open for quite long moment. "The plan may change depend on what will happen tomorrow. I'm thinking about another way, but this is the best I could come up with."

"That's…very intense and risky. Are you sure? Are we really able to pull it out? I mean, there's no guarantee we can come back from this alive…" she said in undertone of bewilderment. "If we screw up, all will be gone…"

"Yes, there is a big probability we're all gonna die," Erwin admitted promptly. "I'll tell the others about this tomorrow. I'm sorry if this sounds too absurd and onerous, but judging the skills among our troops —"

"Relax, Erwin. It's not like I'm against it or something," Hange waved her hands. "You never changed a bit since the first time I met you."

"What do you mean by that?" said Erwin, slightly confused.

"You always take the risk, forcing everyone to go beyond the limit to do the impossible, for the greater good that people usually miss to see," she said calmly, prodding her glasses. "Like now, if I don't know you for a long time, I'll probably say you're a psycho for telling me this."

"I hope I'm not freaking you out," said Erwin, somewhat pleadingly. "To be honest, if you don't feel like it, you shouldn't agree. I'm not your superior. You have every right to object me. Besides…as you said, you may be dead tomorrow," he said quietly, his icy blue eyes staring uneasily at her.

"Do you feel bad because you will entangle and endanger your comrades into this scheme?" Hange accused, pointing his face with her index finger. "I know you always feel so bad with yourself whenever things go south."

Erwin turned his head away, averting the keen look from his comrade. "You are always so sharp, Hange," he muttered admiringly.

"Erwin, no one is ever blaming you for anything," she reassured him in serene voice. "What happened happened. It's not your fault."

"I don't think so. Since I'm the strategist, all that happened were because of me, indirectly…" he retorted bitterly, taking a deep breath, pausing for a moment. "_But there's no gambles without risks_," he emphasized his words with adamant resolution.

"Agreed," said Hange, tapping his shoulder as a form of encouragement. "If this is the best for Survey Corps and our survival, I'll do it tomorrow. You have my words."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it," said Erwin earnestly. "With you, Moses, Levi, and Mike, maybe somehow, we can make it through."

"Yeah, yeah, bring all the badass to the party. But…you came up with this bizarre idea, just after the meeting? Seriously?" Hange giggled in amusement.

"What about it?"

"Sometimes I ask myself, who is the real Commander here," she said, smiling brightly. "You're really gonna be a fine leader someday."

The blond man smirked. "Now you are flattering me."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

_Damn, it hurts._

His head felt like there were million hammers pounding at the same time. The harsh coldness inundated every single inch of his skin, numbing his body. He tried to move as much as he could, but the only thing he was able to do was turning his head to the left. The suffocated feeling of almost being drowned to death was burning his chest as he tried to inhale, slowly taking a deep breath.

Levi slightly opened his eyes; blurry visions were swimming in front of him. He blinked, trying to focus the crooked lines and shapes. It's dark, but he discerned a small light of fire flickering in the darkness, and the not so strange dark auburn color…

"Captain! Thank goodness you're awake!" a girl's voice screamed for him in the midst of racket sound of downpour.

The blurry images finally shaped into something recognizable; the face of his subordinate stared at him with worried. She was soaking wet, looked paler than usual, barefoot, only wearing black tank top and white pants. Kneeling beside him, she sustained his head with her hands, propping his body with her other arm when he tried to get up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly.

"Horrible…" Levi grunted, sitting up with exertion that made his head more light-headed. "Where are we?" he asked, glancing to the unfamiliar environs.

"I…don't know…" she answered with obvious anxiety slithered in her voice.

Levi finally realized, they were in some sort of a cave, not too big, but spacious enough to shelter themselves from roaring storm. The low ceiling was full of stalactites, protruding with its sharp tips. A small fire lit up in the center, irradiating shadowy corners with weak light.

Levi stood up shakily, gripping the rocky wall to support his body. "Where the hell are we!?" he asked in more upset tone, staggering to the mouth of the cave.

"Please stay still! We don't know the extent of your injuries!" Alex protested, very shocked to see him carelessly moved, quickly following and holding his hand.

"I'm fine," Levi replied briskly, looking at the rain and the raging river that almost overflowed its stream banks.

"Sir, do you remember what happened to you?"

"Josef was almost squeezed to death when that bastard threw a tree trunk…" he recalled, rubbing his temple, "then everything went black."

"And after that, you got smacked by the trunk, right on your body, fell from forty meters height, and drowned in the river," said Alex, steering him by the hand to the back of the cave. "Sir, you have to lie down… Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, but… My head is quite dizzy…" he sat on the ground, shaking his head. "And my shoulder hurts like hell," he added, wincing and gently touching his left shoulder.

"Let me examine it, sir," Alex requested with demanding tone of voice.

Levi quickly undressed: taking off his jacket, unbuckling the belts — Alex helped a lot with this since he could barely move his left arm — unbuttoning his drenched white shirt, leaving him only wearing his white pants in the end. His body covered in bruises, but the most severe part was his left shoulder because the shoulder joint distorted in an awful torsion, already swelling, and some deep cut injuries were still bleeding from his head.

"Dislocate shoulder, few lacerations on your forehead, gonna need some stitches…" she carefully examined him, opening her brown leather satchel to take a small first aid kit. "I don't have bandage. I hope you don't mind if I use the cloak, sir."

"But you're gonna need the cloak," Levi reminded.

"I'm just gonna rip small part of it. It's too big for me in the first place," she took her blades and ripped the tip of the green cloak in long pieces.

"First, I'm going to retract your shoulder. This will be hurt so much," she warned, gripping his wrist and placing her other hand on his shoulder.

"Just do it," said Levi uncaringly.

"On three. One, two, three!" she pulled the arm hard, and with the disturbing cracking noise, the bulging joint went back to its normal position.

Alex thought he would wail like banshee, or at least hiss, but Levi's impassive countenance only flinched a bit as his biggest response to the pain.

"These bruises seemed not too severe," she rubbed the bluish-red mark marks on his chest and abdomens. "Feeling any pains in other place, sir? Broken bones, maybe?"

"No, I think that's all," Levi confirmed. "How could we end up in here?"

"You were unconscious after the trunk hit you. I tried to save you, pull you from the gorge but it was too late. We fell, and the river brought us to here… Thankfully, there's a cave in this cliff," she explained while her hands steadily stitching the wounds with needle and tweezers.

"You risked your life to save me," Levi concluded. Though he did not show it, Levi felt astonishment toward her bravery. "Thank you. I owe you one," he said solemnly.

"Don't mention it, sir," said Alex, smiling at him.

Alex continued to treat his injury, wrapping the green fabric around his shoulder, but she couldn't hide her bewilderment, staring at Levi for a while as though he was the most interesting object in this world. He only passed out after being smacked with a large-ass trunk right on him, with insignificant injuries and bruises. Maybe the title humanity's strongest soldier didn't only refer to his outstanding battle skill, but also to his inhuman durability.

"You shouldn't wear this, sir, you may catch cold," she advised, taking his white shirt and jacket. At the corner of the cave, her uniform was hanged to the stalagmite. "Hopefully, these will dry fast" she said as she hanged his uniform.

"It's a damn heavy rainstorm, your hunch was right," said Levi, looking at the seemingly everlasting rain.

"It wasn't a hunch, sir. I knew it would rain soon. The wind from the south brought more humid air and the clouds were moving too fast," she specified, sitting near the fire.

"You sure know a lot," Levi commented, squinting his eyes at her.

"Well, I used to live in forest of mountain in southern of Wall Maria. Weather forecasting is necessary to survive. If it's gonna rain, I will immediately climb a tree to find shelter," she elaborated shortly.

Levi processed her words with a crinkle of suspicion on his forehead. "You lived alone in the forest? What about your parents?"

The girl quickly turned her head away from Levi, hiding her face beneath her soaked hair. "I don't want to talk about ancient history of my life," she said feebly.

"That was literally few years ago."

"I'm eighteen, Captain. That was a long time ago."

"Tch. You looked like twelve," said Levi curtly.

"Really? Thank you, sir!" said Alex, beaming at him.

Levi was bemused by her cheerful respond. "You can't tell between compliment and sarcasm?"

Her smile snagged into small pout. "Wait, that was a sarcasm?" she blinked, then her smile twitched again on her lips. "People usually say I looked like ten years old. So, twelve is good, even it's still a sarcasm, that's a progress, right? That means something to me."

"I was wrong. You do look like ten," he scoffed.

"Stop making fun of me, Captain…" she said weakly, sounded a bit sad.

They sat in silence. Levi's mind jumbled with uneasy thoughts: how could they survive this? What should he do? What happened to the others? What about the mission? Did Erwin's plan work out? He ruffled his hair in frustration, cursing under his breath then glancing to his underling. To his surprise, she looked unexpectedly relax and collected, poking the fire with a stick to keep the fire burning on.

Alex sighed out heavily when the last first danced on the twig and disappeared into thin smoke. "Oh, great…" she grumbled.

"How did you make fire?" Levi asked somewhat curious.

"I have lighters in my satchel, but there isn't many objects that can be burned to set up fire…" she said disappointedly, glancing to the cave. She scratched the stony ground in hope to find any dried leaves or driftwoods.

Now that the cave was in darkness, the only source of light was coming from the entrance of the cave. Levi watched the raindrops falling continuously, musing many thoughts randomly in his mind…

This situation reminded him about last year. It was raining too, at that time. That day, still fresh in his mind as though it just happened yesterday: between the fog, beneath the thunderous sky, among the bloodthirsty monsters…

Her scream of pure fright and terror, her last breath of air was calling for him, to come to her, to save her…

Then the scream vanished, and all that's left of her was red.

Her scream still lingered inside his head, haunting him even until today…

Though he knew he was about to die, he kept smiling to him when he saw him, raising his arm in the air…

How he always waved at him when they parted ways.

He waved his hand at him for the last time, as if he was saying the last goodbye, their final parting…

If only he didn't make that choice… If only he didn't leave them… If only he came faster…

_Shit! Why am I remembering about that in a time like this!?_

Trying to keep his sanity in check and maintain his levelheaded mind, Levi shifted his gaze from the rain and looked around to the dark cave. He didn't notice it at first, but eventually his eyes got used to the dimness; he saw the little girl crumpled on the ground like a ball, wrapping her arms around her body and shivering uncontrollably.

"Are you alright?" asked Levi guardedly.

"I-It's very c-c-cold," she said in a whisper that almost inaudible, her stiffening jaws making it harder for her to speak.

"Come here," said Levi.

Alex tilted her face at him, staring with wary eyes. "Why?"

"I don't want my subordinate die of hypothermia," he spoke in almost caring voice, gesturing the girl to sit beside him.

Alex just looked at him cautiously, didn't move from where she laid down.

"Don't be afraid," Levi reached out his hand to her. "You're cold, right? Sit close to me."

Still very alarmed, but Alex finally flung herself beside him, leaning on his shoulder. The sound of her chattering teeth was very loud because of the knifelike cold. Levi wrapped her right arm around her neck, shouldering her trembling body.

Alex suddenly startled, pulling herself from him and slapping his arm from her shoulder.

"What the hell!?" Levi inquired harshly, frowning with annoyance.

"Sir —" she was speechless with his unpredictable action, looking at his expressionless face with discomfort. "W-w-what are you t-trying to do?" she stuttered through her chattering teeth, seemed very agitated.

"Making you feel warm," said Levi airily, as though his intention was as clear as crystal. "Do you want it or not?"

"Oh… okay," she squeaked, patches of scarlet blooming in her pasty cheeks when Levi wrapped his arm again around her body.

"Give me your hands," he said vaguely, and Alex did it without hesitation.

Levi seized her hands, rubbing his calluses palms to her icy hands, very gentle and careful. He embraced her tighter in his arms and pulled her head closer to his chest.

"Damn it, you're so cold like ice," Levi commented when he touched her freezing face, noticing her tiny lips already turned to blue.

Alex closed her eyes and tried to stabilize her shallow breaths, burying her face on Levi's chiseled chest, feeling more comfortable with the prolonged cuddle. She could hear the sound of his heart beating rhythmically, and she found it comforting. It was very awkward for her to be hugged by a stranger, this close, moreover, her superior in command, and he was shirtless for the love of God. But somehow, his presence made the dread and shiver in her spine withered away. It was undoubtedly very strange but inexplicably very soothing at the same time.

_It's…so warm…_

She opened her eyes and gazed at her hands, thinking why he even bothered to do something like this. Levi still squeezed her hands, locking his fingers at the spaces between hers tightly.

How could this person be so strict and mean for a moment, and turn to be kind and caring the next time?

"Hang on," said Levi, faintly sounded like a command, "don't die in a place like this."

About half an hour had passed when Alex's shivering and shaking was finally gone. The tiny cadet felt the cutting coldness melting away and the numbness in her extremities slowly wearing off. She exhaled relievedly, sitting up straight and smiling to Levi.

"Feeling better?" asked Levi.

"Yes… Thank you very much, sir," Alex muttered gratefully. "I guess that's enough…" she shyly looked at her hands — which Levi still held — and his arm around her waist.

Levi nodded, letting her go from his embrace. Both of them sat in silence again, staring at the rain that seemed much calmer than before.

"Damn… How shitty our situation could get?" Levi grumbled.

"This is pretty bad…" Alex mumbled

Levi tilted his head slightly to Alex. "Are you scared?" he asked.

"Not really," said Alex convincingly. "At least I'm here with the best soldier of humanity, that's very reassuring."

"I'm not gonna let you die," he said, staring at her with a look that very hard to be deciphered.

"What?" said Alex, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm not gonna let you die," he repeated in a low voice, stating firmly as if it was a part of the ethic code of being soldier

Stunned, Alex looked back at him for some kind of explanation, but Levi had moved his eyes to the rain again.

_He's not a bad person…but, why?_

"So, Captain, what should we do now?" asked Alex, changing the subject of conversation.

"We must regroup with the other," Levi answered quickly.

"How?"

"That's what I'm thinking right now," said Levi, hoping his voice was not shaking anxiously. He tried to remain calm but the situation was clearly beyond his worst anticipation.

"But we don't even know where the others are…" Alex reminded hopelessly.

"At this rate, if the expedition went according to plan, they must be at Rotwand Hill. If we can figure out how on earth we can go to there from here, then maybe we may have a chance to survive," said Levi assertively.

"Hmm… So, to go to Rotwand Hill, we need to locate our position…" she mumbled, grabbing her satchel.

Alex opened her small satchel, pouring all the items to the ground. Levi took a brief look: lighters, her first aid kit, small knife, tiny ropes, a pouch of water, tiny telescope, and many other unidentified objects because it was too dim. Lighting the lighters, Alex finally found what she's looking for: a small steel tube. She pulled out a small piece of rolled paper from the inside, then showing it to Levi.

"Captain, take a look at this, maybe we can —"

"Whose map you stole!?" Levi snapped at her.

Alex flinched, looked very offended with his rude incrimination, frowning. "No one… I made this copy. There's a map of our expedition route in the files you gave me. I thought it would be necessary to make one," she said.

"Ho? Really? It's easier to stash one than deal with all the troubles to draw," said Levi accusingly, staring back and forth to her hurtful face and the well-drawn map.

"I'm taking an initiative. You told me to prepare myself for this expedition, I'm just following your order, sir," she persisted, referring to the utensils that scattered near her feet.

Levi received the paper with his suspicious glare still locking at her. "Is this accurate?" he asked, scanning the draw punctiliously.

"I made it in the same scale…" she muttered wryly, still looked offended.

Levi stared at the map for a moment, finally approved her craft because it looked exactly the same with the one he got from Erwin. "We started the expedition using the route on the southwest, near the gorge. The estimated time for this mission is we will pass the forest by afternoon. That means, at this rate, they already reached the hill," Levi speculated lengthy.

"But after what happened in the forest, there's also a possibility they retreat to Dieburg Fortress," Alex asserted her opinion politely. "The last thing I remember, right flank was really chaotic."

"They're at Rotwand Hill. I'm sure of it," Levi affirmed with undeterred confidence. "The mission is to build the resupply station, no matter what happened."

Alex blinked her eyes in surprise. "You really trust the Commander, don't you, Captain?"

"It's more like me putting all of my faith in Erwin," Levi clarified.

"Squad Leader Erwin?"

"Yes. All this mission plan and strategy is his responsibility. And you can bet that man's judgment in every angle. I believe he's already anticipated the worst that could happen," Levi smirked vaguely, "that man has too many mind-fucked plans under his sleeves."

"Did he also anticipate that we would be attacked simultaneously by a group of deviants, broke our formations too early and had a very bad weather?" Alex pointed out grimly. "Those were enough reasons to retreat."

"They didn't retreat," Levi insisted sharply with steely tone. "I know what kind of man he is. Giving up in the last moment is not his thing, no matter what happen."

She bit her lip, her restless face obviously showing disagreement with his judgment. But after seeing the unswerving resoluteness in his cold gray eyes, Alex finally nodded. "I'm with you, sir. Let's go to that hill," she said obediently.

"Easier said than done, rookie. We don't even know where the hell we are now," Levi grunted, gazing at the map unfocusedly.

"I believe we're at somewhere along this riverbed," said Alex, her finger pointed to the thin blue line on the map.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. There's a waterfall — wait, Titan Falls? Is it the name for the waterfall?" she said in confusion, thinking that maybe she wrote it wrong.

"That freak, Hange, found it in the previous expedition, and decided to give such a ridiculous name," Levi gibed scornfully. "So, what about it?"

"Oh… Well, we fell from it after we plunged into the river, so the current carried us to somewhere in the downstream," she explained, running her index finger on the blue line.

"I see. Meaning, the closest landmark which we can possibly reach is this waterfall…" Levi widened his eyes; an idea crossed in his mind like someone just lighting a bulb inside his head. "We need to get back to there. Once we sure we are in the right location, we will find a way to reach the hill from the waterfall. The only problem is how can we coordinate our direction."

"I have compass," she grabbed a tiny silver compass from the ground. "From the waterfall, we have to go straight to the southeast, through the forest, and go to the open terrain at the foot of the hill," Alex suggested explicitly. "How about that Captain?"

"Yeah, the forest, so we will play hide and seek with titans tonight," Levi groaned. "Sounds like a suicidal plan…but we have no choice. We'll eventually die if we stay here any longer."

"Let's get going then," she got up and reached to her half-dried cloak.

"Hold it, rookie. Wait until few hours before sunset," said Levi, grasping her wrist. "If we move before sunset, we may arrive at the waterfall just a moment before nighttime. That will be convenient."

Alex faced him with a confused look. "Why?"

Levi's expression was even more confused than hers. "Why do you ask why?"

"Because I don't understand… Why do we move before sunset? Why moving at night will be convenient?" she asked innocently.

Levi stared at her with flat expression of bafflement, wondering if his hearing was severely damaged or this childish-looking soldier really didn't know about basic survival trick against titan. "Titans can't move at night, you idiot," he scorned.

"Oh, really? That's news to me!" she exclaimed happily then frowned. "But Squad Leader Hange didn't mention it last night…"

"That's a common knowledge that even a knee would know," scoffed Levi, still baffled. "Why do you think we could sleep in Fortress at night?"

"Oh! Yes! No one did the lookout turn after eight o'clock. If titans can't move at night, no need for guarding through the night. Now I get it," she sat back beside Levi, smiling blushfully.

"You don't even know it? What an idiot… Are you really graduated at top of your class?" Levi interrogated, very suspicious that she did illicit ways to boost her rank.

"Well, class lecture about titans was not on the test, and we only had that curriculum in the first month of the first year, so… I used to skip classes because I was not interested in titans, until I saw them yesterday," she mumbled with cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

The rain finally stopped after couple hours and the afternoon sky lit up brightly. Donning with their full combat uniform, both of them went out of the cave, glancing to their surrounding cautiously. Alex filled her pouch with water, shoving it inside her satchel, while Levi meticulously inspecting the 3DM Gears to detect any malfunctions. Alex joined him later, helping with checking gas-powered mechanism.

"Seems like our gears are fine to go," said Alex, carefully examining the valve of the cylinders.

"Glad you didn't skip the basic lesson about taking care of your equipment," said Levi sardonically, fixating his gear at his waist.

"I did, sometimes," Alex admitted. "But I have a comrade who is so great in machinery. He taught me everything about the gear."

"So, are we going to the opposite direction of the current?" asked Levi.

"Yes. We're heading there," said Alex, pointing to the right direction. "Should we climb the cliff, sir?"

"No, this riverbed is safer than the ground up on the cliff."

It was supposed to be a quiet and high alert journey, because noises would attract titans, and they would be doomed if any titans hop from the cliff to this riverbanks. Between the narrow gorge, steep cliff and deep river with swift current, there would be no enough space to maneuver with 3DM Gear, so fighting would be difficult. To Levi's tremendous annoyance, the little girl was too noisy, way more noisy than fifteen Garrison canons being fired at the same time. It's finally grating on Levi's nerves after twenty minutes had passed by, she continuously jabbered overly excited utterances on everything she saw at the riverbanks.

"I never saw that kind of vegetations! I wonder if those only grow in this area."

"Purple mushrooms! These are so pretty! Could be poisonous though…"

"Wow! Look at that! Those birds never flew inside the Walls!"

"What are these flowers? It smells so nice and —"

"You barely said any words when we went out of the gate and now you can't even shut up for a minute," Levi eventually cut in when he felt his patience already on the verge of its limit, throwing a furious look at her. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"This is the outside world, Captain. You never know what you will see!" said Alex perkily, picking the red-yellowish wild flower and slipping it inside her pants pocket.

"We will see titans, ultimately," Levi replied coldly, walking faster. "Don't get too carried away."

"Oh! Berries!" she squealed with delight — seemed not listening to Levi at all — squatting near the bush and picking a handful of red-bluish colored berries from the vine.

Levi sighed peevishly and turned his heels, very annoyed to see her too far away behind him. "Keep walking!" he yelled.

"I'm right behind you, sir!" said Alex, still squatting and shoving the berries into her satchel.

"You're twenty meters behind me! Get your ass over here!" Levi shouted impatiently.

"Alright, sir! I'm sorry!" she ran to him with overjoyed expression like she didn't feel sorry at all.

"Why are you picking those wild fruits?" asked Levi, looking at small fruits in her clutch.

"Rations. We don't know how long it takes to reach Rotwand Hill, what if we get hungry?" she elucidated, trying to shove all the berries into her swollen satchel.

Levi let out a "Tch!" derisively, snorting at her simple-minded reason. "We're not here for picnic."

"But, sir, hunger is enemy number one. We can't do anything with empty stomach," she argued matter-of-factly, stowing her satchel inside her jacket. "And the second enemy is sleep deprivation."

"Whatever," said Levi exasperatedly, unwilling to debate with her any further.

Not too long after that, she walked hurriedly to edge of the riverbanks, tiptoeing in the shallow water and staring eagerly at the bunch of swimming fishes.

"Mountain trout! I never saw so many of them like this, even inside Wall Maria. This downstream is probably —"

"That's enough!" Levi hissed, grabbing her by her collar scruff, pulling her from the river. "Didn't I say don't get too carried away? Can't you just focus and do what your superior ordered you to do? Now keep walking!" he pushed her forward rather harsh.

"I'm sorry Captain. Very sorry," she said lightly, keeping up beside him with her eyes still locking to the river.

"Damn it, rookie! Do you have attention deficit disorder or what!? I gave you simple orders and the next second you ignore all of them," Levi berated her through tightly gritted teeth.

"I must admit I'm very thrilled right now, sir. It's not everyday you can take a stroll in outside wall," she shifted her eyes to the surrounding environment, beaming at Levi with her wide grin. "We are probably the first humans who ever walk on this riverbed!"

"That's maybe true, but it's not an excuse to make you behave like a freaking five years old. Learn some self-control for fuck's sake," said Levi tartly.

Alex pouted, eyeing him with disappointed look. "You're not a very cheerful one, are you, Captain?"

"No," Levi replied tersely.

"Mockingbirds!" Alex exclaimed suddenly, pointing with her finger. "So many of them… This place must be their habitat to reproduce and lay eggs in summer," she commented with amusement. Her eyes were following the movement of a brown Mockingbird, which was flying around above her head.

"Don't even think about catching one of them," Levi warned.

"I'm not sir," said Alex, but her lips pursed as she kept walking beside Levi.

She whistled a song, high pitch whistling with cheerful melody, which Levi never heard before. The bird followed her whistling, repeating after her. Then two birds, three birds, four birds, eventually, the rest of the birds in the nearby area imitated her whistle, creating a harmony of musical notes, like a symphony orchestra.

"Wow! This is amazing!" she giggled merrily.

_***BAM!***_

Her laughter rapidly changed into a tiny shriek of pain, after Levi blew an extremely powerful head butt to her forehead. Tumbling pathetically on the ground, Alex looked up to his superior; her teary eyes clashed with deadly look on his. Levi was standing in front of her, glaring darkly with burning murderous intent radiating from his gray eyes.

"Captain… That really… Hurts…" she grimaced, rubbing her forehead repetitively.

"Are you fucking retarded? We're in the land infested with monstrous giants, ready to devour us on sight…" Levi's words were shaking with anger. "AND YOU FUCKING MADE A NOISE LIKE THAT!?"

"I'm so sorry sir!" Alex piped, now sounded very scared. "I knew Mockingbird will respond to whistle and human voice because of their ability to mimic noise, but I didn't expect there will be so many of them like this!" she justified her action, referring to the sound of Mockingbird chirping endlessly around them.

"Enough with your stupidity! If titans come down here, I'm really gonna throw you inside their mouths!" he snarled, crouching down in front of her.

"But titans can't get to here. The cliff is too high, if they jump down —"

Levi quickly clapped his palm to her mouth, grasping her jaw firmly in anger but resisting the temptation to break her mandible bone to pieces. "One… One more word from you, and I will cut your fucking tongue off," Levi threatened, sparing another menacing glare. "Keep walking in silence with your lips sealed. One useless word from you and believe me that will be the last word that ever slip from your mouth. Is my order clear to you, annoying brat?" he whispered with venom in every syllable.

Learning the hard way that Levi was a man of his words, Alex nodded repeatedly like a bobble-head doll, standing up straight in instant and giving a shaky salute. She strode faintheartedly beside him, gulping nervously every time the raven-haired man leered at her. Her face was deathly pale, but her bright hazel eyes were still enthusiastically scanning the vicinity. There were moments when she was about to say something in impulse, but all that she let out was a horrified gasp, because Levi immediately turned to her, staring ominously with his inscrutable expression as if he was saying _'do that and you know what will happen to you'_. So in the end, she spent the rest of the journey with both of her hands clamping her mouth.

Two of them continued to walk; until they heard reverberate noise of falling water broke the silence between them. They had reached the end of the riverbanks. Large region of bedrock were pounded by rampageous stream and eminently wide waterfall was surging and plunging down the high cliff far ahead of them. At this distance, it looked like silver tear dropping from the sky.

"That's the waterfall, right?" asked Levi, glancing at Alex.

The petite girl answered his question with a nod.

"To think we fell from that height, we're goddamn lucky to be alive…" Levi commented. "I think this is as far as we can go. What if we climb the cliff now?"

No answer.

"Shouldn't it be easier to reach it from the upper ground than from here?" said Levi, looking at the broken rock fragments.

Silence. Still no answer.

"Oi. Are you ignoring me now, shitty rookie?" Levi barked.

Alex jerked when he was darting an intimidating glare that could have melt titanium at her. "Is it…s-s-safe for me t-to speak n-n-now…sir?" she stammered.

"You may speak, only the things related for our survival," said Levi tiredly. "Try to control that choosey mouth and your annoying behavior."

"Alright, sir. Yes, that is the waterfall. It will be better to climb now, the bedrocks is very slippery," said Alex, already activating her gear. "We will be soaking wet again if we try to walk on it."

They launched the grapple-hooks to the rocky wall, climbing it as fast as they can. Once they reached the upper ground, Levi seemed to be more vigilant than ever; his eyes were fixating at the forest. On their far right, the treetops of the bleak forest swayed in a light breeze, giving an impression of ghostly and sinister aura. They carefully strode to the waterfall, accelerating their pace, because the sky getting darker with each minute passed by.

"It's almost sunset…" Alex said in dreamy voice, apparently talking to herself. "The book said it would happen for short moments, I better hurry if I don't want to miss it… But… From where should I…" she mumbled into her hand, looking keenly around like she was searching for some kind of buried treasure.

"You really can't shut up, noisy brat," Levi hissed, striding faster in front of her.

"I can see it from the top of the tree though, but what if titans show up? No… The forest is too dangerous… Bad idea…" she continued to self-talk in the same dreamy quality voice.

Levi turned to her, frowning. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh! That peak will be a perfect spot!" she abruptly screamed.

Before Levi had a chance to stop her, she was running frenziedly like her life was depended on it.

"Oi! Stupid brat! What did I say about self-control!?" Levi shouted.

Alex completely paid no heed to him; she kept sprinting to the edge of the high cliff, standing tall at the highest peak of the precipice then screaming in absolute exhilaration.

"Captain! Captain Levi! Look at this!"

Levi groaned, facepalming grouchily, then glaring to the shrieking girl. "WHAT NOW!?" he yelled, unleashing all of the wrath into his voice.

"Over here!" she shrieked, waving her hand in a gesture to ask him to come. "Come on! You have to see it, Captain!"

"For fuck's sake, rookie, I'm tired of your nonstop useless jabbering!" Levi scowled but eventually followed her to the peak, stomping angrily. "You fucking annoying—"

"Look!" Alex clasped his arm and pulled him quickly, pointing the view in front of their eyes, and Levi held his breath as his eyes capturing the remarkable scenery.

The sky was painted in blazing red; combination of a tinge of sun's orange and red beam at the horizon met the almost cloudless backdrop as the aftermath of the heavy rain, creating a dazzling crimson sky. A rainbow, with radiant pastel colors, softly emerged from the horizon, circling the half-rounded sun. As green as finest emerald, the dense forest spread out widely as though it was covering the earth's entire surface, with a stream of river cleaving the green with the line of sapphire. The two soldiers of Survey Corps stood silently in awe for minutes, admiring the nature's desolate beauty that no humankind ever experienced in hundred years.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alex whispered serenely. "Do you feel it, Captain? The breeze. The air. The sunlight. It's so different from inside the wall. This is," she spread her arms and inhaled deeply, "this is the outside world… Even the sky looks brighter…"

"Yeah. Not bad at all," Levi admitted, still staring in amazement.

"That horizon seems endless…" she gasped, reaching out her hand as though she was trying to touch the sun.

"I never imagine, thinking how big the world is…" Levi muttered under his breath.

"This is…what we need to take back… The freedom…" said Alex dreamily, gazing to small clouds of bird flying into the crimson sunset.

"Right. And how about if we start to take back the freedom of humanity by regrouping with the main troops?" Levi reminded, hurriedly running down the peak. "Come on, rookie. We still have long way to go."

"Yes, sir! Right away!" she glanced to the skyline for the last time, smiling gleefully then running toward her captain.

* * *

**A/N: I don't think I will find beta reader anytime soon *weep pathetically on the floor*, so I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors in this chapter, and also in the next chapters, English is not my first language... Whoever and wherever you are, thank you for reading my story! You really made my day!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 4**

**-Year 845 before The Fall of Wall Maria, the 2nd day of Survey Corps 29th Expedition beyond the wall-**

**-Two hours before dawn-**

It was still very dark outside, with full moon still hanging low and the presence of glittering celestial bodies still occupying the vast expanse of inky blackness. Most of the soldiers still had an adventure on their dreamland, but three most respectable members of Survey Corps were already fell back into real world, donned Survey Corps uniform — minus the 3DM Gear — and gathered in Erwin's bedroom. Levi sat on the chair and tapped his foot repeatedly on the floor, staring back and forth from Mike — who was making coffee at the corner of the room — to Erwin — who was staring at his map on the table — with boredom. If it were not Erwin who knocked on his bedroom, he definitely would smother anyone who dared to disturb him this early when he opened the door.

"Where is Hange?" asked Mike to Erwin, bringing a tray of mugs and flagon to the table.

"She's coming," said Erwin with certainty, didn't move his eyes from the map. The blond strategist was connecting dots and lines, drawing the route of his back up plan for today's expedition. "I already told her last night."

"That despicable bloody specs really got some nerves to make us waiting like this," Levi hissed with a strained expression, folding his arms.

Few more Levi's angry stomps on the floor later, the rusty door hinge creaked and the long-awaited soldier popped up behind the wooden door.

"G'night… Guys…" Hange greeted drowsily, yawning and scratching her head. Her typical ponytail was loosed, with the brunette strands fell messily on her shoulder and face.

"You're damn late, shit glasses," Levi berated crossly, his super-deep furrows on the forehead was creased to a point that it looked exactly like a miniature of Grand Canyon.

"Sooow — hoaaaaam — rryyy —" she yawned again and rubbed her puffy eyes. "I…slept really late…last night…" she said with eyelids half-opened while slumping on the chair between Mike and Levi. "Where is Moses?"

"I decided to not tell him in advance," said Erwin. "He's a soldier of chain-of-command. I don't think he will be okay with a plan to go behind Keith's back, let's keep him in the dark, for this moment."

"So, what are you scheming now, brilliant?" asked Mike forthright when Erwin put down his fountain pen.

"I modified the initial plan that I made for this expedition," Erwin began to expound, spreading the map in the center of the table so all of them could see it clearly. "My objective is still the same: we will prevent a breakdown in the formation and protect our supply wagons. We will act as decoy to halt their movement from the eastern forest," he tapped the green part that marked 'unknown territory'. "The decoy team will buy time for the main force to get out of the forest. We'll be divided into three group, one to north east, one to south east, and one straight to the east," he finished his explanation, pointing at three separated lines on the map. "Intercepting all the threats from every direction is the essence of this plan."

"That's very clever," Mike commented, nodding approvingly. "How many soldiers we're gonna need? We can't deploy too many and leave the main troops defenseless."

"Just the main member each of our squad, we will lead them directly. But for the secrecy of this illegal operation, don't let them know until we are about to commence it," said Erwin.

"We? Then what about the rest of our squad?" said Mike guardedly, sounded very concerned.

"Leave the command to your most trusted Team Leader in charge. Although, I'm sure there won't be any dangerous threats to main force if this works out," Erwin asserted with his usual confident tone of voice.

"But Erwin, we can't seriously abandon our squad and run for this," Mike reminded politely, tapping his fingers on the map. "We have our own responsibility as Squad Leader. Any soldiers from our squad can do this, instead of us."

"We have to overlook our squad, whether we want it or not. My initial plan was pretty much like you said: any soldiers could do this. But since we will us this unauthorized plan when things go awry, it can't be ordinary soldiers, Mike, it has to be _us_," Erwin insisted, looking successively to Mike, Hange, and Levi. "This operation is convoluted and almost impossible — I wish I had better plan but I didn't — meaning, I need the soldiers with most experience in fighting titans. The best fighters in the Legion."

"Are you waking me up too damn early like this just to tell me to do what I always do in expedition?" Levi summarized indifferently, shooting a disappointed look to Erwin.

"Yes, but this time, we need a full _cooperation_," Erwin emphasized the last word so slowly as if Levi was a toddler who learned to spell syllable, looking at the raven-haired man with stern look. "We have to work together if we don't want to screw this up."

After sparing another cold stare to his demanding blue eyes, Levi nodded almost imperceptibly. "Tch. Fine," he said with obvious dislike. "So, when will we execute this crazy idea?"

Erwin interlocked his fingers, wrinkling his forehead in silent for a moment then facing the brunette soldier. "Hange, what do you say about that? When is the right time?"

"I was reviewing my observation results last night," said Hange, suddenly lost her sluggish bearing and sleepy voice, prodding her glasses in serious gesture. "My assumption is they will come right at us once we enter the forest — humans attract titans whatsoever. To be honest, I recommend we pull this out before we enter the forest."

"That will be impossible," Erwin interrupted. "We can't do this while we're still in Long Distance Scouting Formation."

Hange rubbed her chin, staring at the map conscientiously. "So, the second best opportunity is after we deploy linear formation, I suppose."

"Very well, I trust your judgment, Hange," said Erwin then turned to Mike. "Alert me when the titans start moving from the east."

"That's what I always do in expedition," said Mike with subtle pride, sniffing the air. "After that, what's next?"

"We make a rendezvous point in here, from the left flank of our formation," Erwin pointed to a dot at the beginning of the three separated lines. "Once the target in our vicinity is already eliminated and the battalion already pass the forest, we will regroup, using signal flare, and trace our way back to the route."

"That's very tricky," Hange criticized. "I mean, for the time we execute this plan to regroup, we will be on our own in the forest…"

"Yes. We will be separated from the main force for the unknown amount of time, depending on the situation on the field. The worst could happen at that time. So please, be very cautious and don't screw up," Erwin stated uneasily. "Any questions?"

"My squad is in right flank. If I sneak to left flank without command, that will be very suspicious," Levi reminded.

"Don't worry about it, Levi. I'll send a messenger from my squad to inform you," said Hange.

"You're as twisted as usual Erwin, but is this will be alright?" said Mike. "I know you are destined to be a Commander by the time you were born into this world, but issuing order without Keith's permission is…not ethical. This can trigger conflict among the troops. If he find out about this and proscribe, what happen then?"

"I'll deal with that matter," said Erwin confidently, looking at Hange somewhat pleased. "Last night, you mentioned about his clouded judgment due to the stress he experienced. I think I can get advantage from his unstable emotion, with some talk and persuasion, then gently coerce him to cooperate."

"Oh you cunning smart man!" said Hange, chuckling at Erwin amusedly.

"Your sweet mouth always works like venom, he'll swallow up everything you say within seconds," Levi commented with an obscure smirk.

"There is no deceits a man named Erwin Smith can't do," Mike sneered.

"What a bunch of heartwarming compliments, thank you," said Erwin in sarcastic tone. Then his calm expression became stonier, and his voice was wobbly when he spoke again. "I have to remind you all that I can't guarantee our survival. We may end up dead. We don't know what will happen, how many enemies we will encounter, how long the fight will take, do we have enough blades or gas… Anything could happen in anytime." His voice became softer with every word he uttered. "Thank you for trusting me."

There was a pause of unpleasant silence following his gloomy speech. Erwin fixed his eyes on the map, avoiding the perplexed stares from his comrades. Though he was not telling it clearly, his stiff expression might implicitly depict how anxious he was about what will happen.

"What a hell of inspiring closing speech," Levi mocked sourly.

"We know what we're doing, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. We're ready," Mike assured firmly.

"Stop being melancholy like that, Erwin. It ruined your cool image." Hange clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Alright gentlemen, we should get ready for today's big event," she said lightheartedly, pulling a rubber band from her pocket and tying her hair.

"It's too early to have morning coffee, but we need all the caffeine boost we could get," said Mike, pouring the coffee from the flagon.

"You already made it? Today is my turn," said Hange, her eyebrow lifted.

"I will let you make coffee if I want to destroy my taste bud," said Mike calmly, getting a snide approving snort from Levi.

Hange elbowed the tallest man in the ribs, glaring waspishly. The freshly brewed dark liquid was steaming from the mug; the rich and robust scent of coffee filled the small bedroom. Levi quickly snatched his mug, placing his fingers at the rim.

"Hey, Levi! Don't drink just yet!" said Hange, grabbing his wrist to stop him from drinking. "Let's have a toast first!" she urged, glancing to Erwin and Mike. Both of the blond men exchanged looks for a moment, shrugging then raising their mugs.

"No," said Levi flatly, pushing her hand away from him.

"Oh come on!" said Hange, seizing his hand again. "Please, Levi. This may be the last toast we have together…" she added with rather sad voice.

Seeing an almost imploring gaze in her brown eyes, Levi sighed and reluctantly raised his mug, much to Hange's delight.

"To the hidden knowledge that will unravel the world's mysteries!" said Hange exuberantly.

"To our brilliant, manipulative and cunning future Commander," said Mike with deadpan tone.

Erwin threw an amazed look to Mike and smiled vaguely, shaking his head. "To the counterattack of mankind," he said solemnly.

Everyone stared at Levi, waiting for the grumpy soldier to say something.

"Whatever," he said uncaringly, then clinking his mug with the others.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

**-Noon-**

"Everyone, get ready to fight! There's only one target! Either we secure this ground as mankind's first stronghold beyond the wall or we done!" Keith's command finally soared to the air.

"Target approaching!" Erwin shouted, looking at the shadow of eighteen meters class titan ahead of them.

"Split into five groups! Now!" Keith raised his arm, gesturing the squad to deploy the formation. "The rest of the soldiers, defend the supply wagons!"

The battalion of Survey Corps dispersed into two directions; they split up in two rows, guarding the supply wagons from both left and right side in linear formation.

"Group one will act as a bait! Group two and three on standby! Group four and five will attack the target!" Keith shouted.

The eighteen meters deviant seemed to not regard the whole hustle and bustle around; it kept thumping idly, very slowly when the cavalcade of soldiers passed before it.

"All squadrons engage 3DM gear!"

The sound of penetrating grapple-hooks, reeling wire and activated fan mechanism filled the battlefield. Soldiers launched their selves to the air, flying between the trees, swirling around and trying to outflank the target.

"Hit it from every angle!" Keith commanded from the ground, spurring his horse closer to the deviant.

"Moses! Go for the neck! I'll cover for you!" Erwin shouted, swinging fast pass him.

"Got it!" said Moses.

Moses aimed to the higher braches, spiraling up over the treetops. The moment he was within the proximity of the Deviant, he dipped with blades on his sides.

"Taste the strength of humanity!" Moses shouted out loud, attacking the nape with rotational downward slash. His blades cut through the thick skin and butchered the chunk of the neck.

The Deviant fell with a loud thud, quickly producing steam. Moses propelled himself forward and landed smoothly, regrouping with Erwin and the other soldiers.

"Bad news! More titans are coming from the left!" Hange shouted from a tree, pointing her blades to the woods.

"How many!?" said Keith shrilly.

"Way too many Commander! Fast!" Mike informed, sniffing the air repetitively. "First wave are coming!"

Loud thuds were thundering consecutively, getting louder and louder when the shadows appeared from the eastern forest, as if the darkness were trying to engulf them. Then, the black shadows were converted into monstrous deviants, aggressive and deleterious, roaring threateningly, reaching their hands out to grab the nearest humans on their sight.

"All men! Attack! Now!" Keith's voice was competing with the noise of thunders. "Don't let them get to the supply wagons!"

The soldiers were intercepting them from every direction, like green bullets being shot at the same time, ricocheting wildly with extreme velocity. The hot, sticky bloods of titans were showering them as their blades carved into the flesh and sheared off the muscles. Not so long after that, the wave of next horde of titans — damn so many titans — was passing them, but instead of attacking, they just hurtling to the right flank, heedless the flying soldiers in front of their faces.

"What the hell is going on!?"

"They completely ignored us!"

"Shit! They went straight to the formation!"

"They are Deviants! They don't act normally!" Hange shouted from the air, swinging faster to chase a nearby ten meters class deviant.

"Don't chase them! Don't break our formation!" Keith forbid briskly, raising his hand. "The right flank will engage with them! All troops! Forward! We need to move as fast as possible!"

With that command, the soldiers touched down and mounted to their horses, following the Commander. But Hange — still hanging steadily high in the air — stared worryingly at the eastern part of the forest; from afar, many treetops were shaking fiercely, and trees were collapsing for no apparent reason. The eccentric scientist knew it very well: only titans could cause destruction in that massive scale, meaning many Deviants were dashing right to them.

"Erwin! I think the situation is like what I had anticipated! They moved from the east straight to us!" Hange affirmed, shouting out loud to Erwin below. "At this rate, we can't advance while protecting our formation if we don't slow them down!"

"Is this the right time to execute the plan!?" Erwin inquired in haste.

Hange released the anchors, swinging and landing swiftly on the ground. "Yes! Hurry up!" she demanded in panic, mounting on her horse.

Erwin rode his horse, galloping with its maximum speed to keep up beside Keith. "Sir! I need your permission to lead some soldiers to act as decoy!" he requested forthright.

"What are you talking about, Erwin!?" Keith yelled with bewilderment carved on his face.

"At this rate, we will lose everything if we don't counterattack! Trust me, Commander! I have a plan for this!"

"Are you scheming all of this behind my back!?" Keith berated, looked tremendously appalled and indignant.

"Commander, your main concern is the safety of your men, but mine is to make this mission successful! No matter what happen!" Erwin persisted, the flame of indomitable resoluteness blazing in his eyes.

"Look around you, Erwin! What do you think you will achieve by separating the troops in this precarious situation!?"

"Like I already told you last night!" Erwin reminded. "I will halt their movement from the eastern forest! It should buy enough time for the main troops to advance!"

"That's ridiculous! We don't have time for another round of your gamble!" Keith howled.

"There's no gambles without risks!" Erwin insisted pertinaciously. "Sir! If you're unwilling to take the risks then I shall take them on your behalf! If this mission fail, all the sacrifices we've made will be for naught! Either we all die here for something or for nothing!"

Keith's furious expression died out into a pensive look. His fidgety eyes were perfectly showing that he was conflicted between his own conscience and the decision of the subordinate he trusted with his life. Keith stared restlessly at Erwin then shifted his gaze to the cavalcade of soldiers behind him.

"Commander! I beg you! Have faith in me!" Erwin cried out, focusing Keith's attention again at him. "The fate of your men and the fate of humanity are in your hands!"

The Commander gnashed his teeth, and finally declared the order that Erwin was waiting for. "I believe in you! Take all the men you need for your operation!"

"Thank you, sir! I'll leave my squad to you! Lead the main force to the hill, Commander, I will make sure no titans get in the way!" said Erwin.

"Be careful Erwin!" Keith warned, spurring his horse faster.

"That went smoothly," said Erwin under his breath, smirking triumphantly. He pulled the rein of his horse, glancing to his fellow squad leaders behind him. "We'll commence Plan B!" Erwin shouted.

"We have Plan B!?" Moses shouted back, very confused.

"Yes, we have!" Erwin affirmed, turning to Moses with slight of guilty look. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier about this."

"What the hell man!? A matter of life-and-death like this and you didn't tell me!?" Moses growled, galloping his horse next to Erwin

"All Squad Leaders will act as decoy! Choose your most skillful combatants in your squad to aid! All the enemies, we're gonna eliminate them!" Erwin drew his blades, heading to the left and separating himself from the main cavalcade.

"Finally!" said Hange, already plugging her blades in. "Nifa! Relay to the Team Leader of Team seven, he's in charge of fourth squad until I get back! Tell Levi to get here ASAP with his squad!"

"Yes, ma'am!" said Nifa with a very puzzled look, spurring her horse to the direction of right flank.

Hange glanced to her remaining subordinates, signaling them to follow Erwin. "Keiji, Moblit, Matt! Let's go!"

"You heard Erwin! Everyone, follow him!" Mike commanded to his squad members.

They were rushing deep into the forest towards the designated area that Erwin had planned. Once they arrived, all the soldiers dismounted and tied their horses to the trees, quickly activating their 3DM Gears. Mike was suddenly startled when his nose sensed the familiar smell of the titans.

"Erwin, many titans are already coming our way!" Mike yelled. His nostrils flared up, sniffing rapaciously.

"What direction!?" said Erwin.

"From north to south!" said Mike with absolute certainty. "They are coming fast!"

"Hange, your squad will handle the northeast! Mike, head straight to the southeast! Moses' Squad and me will handle everything in between! Once the ground is clear, we will rendezvous at this point!" Erwin instructed briskly.

"Got it! See ya later guys! Please don't die!" said Hange heartily, quickly soaring to north with her squad members, breaking her way through the rain. "Damn it! I can't believe Erwin really pull this out!"

"Ma'am! Did Squad Leader Erwin plan this beforehand!?" a soldier with goggles behind her yelled.

"You bet, Matt! Very amazing and risky, right!?" Hange choked, sounded half amazed and half disbelief. "But in this predicament, this is the best thing we can do!"

Hange's Squad moved straight to the northeast in a great rush of anticipation. And as Mike's extraordinary olfactory sense had predicted, what lied ahead of them was a deadly combat zone. Though no titans were in sight yet, the sounds of titans' footsteps were echoing in every direction, trapping them with jarring noises.

"Oh! Look at that kid!" Hange screeched fervidly, not quite sure if she's drooling or the raindrops were accumulating way too much on her jaws. "Now that's a very interesting Deviant!"

There was a fifteen meters deviant, hiding and peeping between trees, with stomach bulging like it could explode in any seconds. Hange flung forward in full speed, chortling ecstatically with her usual deep-toned maniacal laughter.

"Squad Leader! This is not the appropriate time to collect samples for experiment!" Moblit reprimanded sharply, barely keeping up with her.

"Good Lord! I really really want to dissect that glorious belly and take —"

"SQUAD LEADER HANGE! STAY FOCUS TO OUR OBJECTIVE OR YOU WILL DIE!" Moblit screamed, now sounded intensely terrified.

Hange snapped out of her euphoria, looking absentmindedly at Moblit. "Oh yeah! Right! Erwin's plan!" she reminded herself. "You and Matt will distract the titans! Keiji and I will do all the butchering!"

They charged to the titan and speedily surrounded it to coordinate crushing attacks. Moblit gave an assist with slicing the inner thigh and Matt performed well-aimed attack to blind the eyes. Hange shot her grapple-hooks at its neck, readying her blades at her sides.

"I really want to dissect you, you know?" she cooed with disappointment. Her eyes were still glinting with enthusiasm. "Well, maybe next time."

She spun around its head and landed gracefully at the nape. Her sharp blades pierced to the thick flesh, splattering all the blood at her. The big monster fell down as she leapt to the nearest branch, wiping her bloody goggles with her sleeve.

"Squad Leader! More titans are heading to us!" Keiji forewarned, pointing his blades at the direction of main source of thumping noises.

Raising her blades up in the air, Hange fired the grapple-hooks toward the upcoming titans. "Everyone, on your position! Prepare to engage them!"

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

"It's moving toward you, Gelgar! Watch out!" Henning shouted from the treetops.

"Piece of cake!" Gelgar exclaimed.

The last enemy was fifteen meters class titan chasing him from his behind. Gelgar swiftly propelled from the ground right to the titan and slashed the calf in flash. While Gelgar distracted the titan, Lynne and Henning flung from both sides of the titan and cut the triceps, making the big arms limped. And before it could react by the sudden attack, Nanaba spun from the height in downward motion and delivered the last blow to severe the nape. The enemy collapsed helplessly, being defeated by great coordinated teamwork.

"Thanks guys! Nice assist!" Nanaba squealed.

"Is it over, Squad Leader!?" Lynne screeched to Mike.

Afar from them, Mike — who just slaughtered six titans singlehandedly — sniffed the air scrupulously. "This area is clear! Let's get moving to rendezvous point!" he ordered.

His subordinates followed him and flew through the piercing raindrops.

"I'm glad you're fighting with your cool-headed mind right now," said Mike to Nanaba.

"Come on, Mike! I'm not that stupid!" said Nanaba irritably. "I was distracted yesterday, it won't happen again!"

"I always know you work better in team," said Mike.

"Are you saying I can't fight solo?" Nanaba accused.

"You can, but you are showing your most potential working in team," Mike clarified.

"Whoa, Squad Leader, Nana isn't the only one who's good in teamwork," said Gelgar. "My assist was top class!"

"Yeah, Gelgar. That's very impressive," said Nanaba, smiling at him.

"Hey, Gelgar! If you can kill more than six titans this time, I will buy you drink when we're back!" Henning shouted in challenging tone.

"Hahaha! Man, you are gonna regret yourself for saying that!" Gelgar shouted back superciliously.

"Hey! We're in the middle of expedition! Forget about your stupid drinking match!" Lynne bristled stoutly, frowning at her comrades. "Be more serious, guys!"

"I wonder if they can stop thinking about booze just for one minute," said Mike, sighing wearily at the scene of Lynne, Henning and Gelgar bantering about their drinking habit.

"You picked the most drunkard men in the whole Legion for your squad. It can't be helped," Nanaba reminded.

When they arrived at the designated place, Erwin and Moses' squad were already there, waiting for the all the squads to gather.

"How was it?" asked Erwin hastily as Mike landed beside him.

"The southeast is clear," Mike informed. "My nose tells me everything is under control, so far."

Not too long after that, Hange's squad appeared from the forest.

"Is everybody still alive!?" yelled Hange as she landed with her squad.

"Seems like that," Moses confirmed in relief.

Mounting on their horses, the decoy teams were galloping fast, breaking through the forest to reach the route on the southwest, led by Erwin. Since they couldn't use flare gun in the rain and dense white fog began to form, they relied on Mike's nose to track their way back to the main force.

"This went better than I thought," said Hange with satisfaction, looking at Erwin.

"This operation is not over yet, not until we pass this forest and regroup!" said Erwin. "Everybody, stay alert!"

"So, is it not over yet?" said Moses, looking around. "I don't see any titans near us."

"No. It's not over!" said Mike suddenly in strained voice, very alert. "There are more to come, still far away, but definitely move to west, ten titans, minimal, but I could be wrong," he sniffed again then glanced to Erwin. "The rain is masking up their smell."

"It won't end soon," said Hange confidently. "The Deviants can perceive humans' presence — I'm not sure how — but I presume they will keep coming from the eastern forest, unless the main troops are already too far away within their range."

"I thought we already bought enough time for the main troops to flee," said Erwin, looking at Hange with apprehensive look. "Something is happening and slowing them down."

"I guess the weather could be the problem," Hange began to speculate, gazing to the cloudy sky, "maybe the —"

"Squad Leader Hange!" called a loud yell. Nifa appeared from the bushes ahead of them with worried face. "I have relayed your message to the Leader but Captain Levi's whereabouts is unknown!"

"What do you mean with 'unknown'!?" Hange yelled with confusion.

"The right flank is completely in a shambles! I couldn't find anyone from his squad!" Nifa shrieked, her soft voice almost inaudible in the midst of rainstorm.

Erwin's eyes widened upon hearing the news, staring at Nifa. "What happened to the right flank!?"

"I don't know, sir!" Nifa piped, galloping next to Hange. "But it seemed the titans managed to cause serious damage to the right flank formation!"

"That sounds terrible," said Mike, losing his calm voice for a moment. "And there are more titans coming."

"Guess we have to fight on our own then," Hange groaned anxiously.

"What should we do now, Erwin? Wait until they get closer to us or what?" asked Moses.

Three of them were looking disconcertedly at Erwin, waiting for the blond man's command.

Erwin was pondering ideas in his head, quickly assessing their situation. A slight of quandary flashed in his eyes for brief seconds, then he stared at his fellow squad leaders with his usual composed countenance. "Commence plan C," he said vehemently.

"We have plan C!?" Mike, Hange, and Moses yelled in unison, staring in utter astonishment.

"Yes! Four of us, we will intercept with the upcoming titans! We will attack them first before they get closer to the main force!" Erwin said firmly. "The rest members of the squad will keep up with the main troops with Nifa leading the way. Defend the rear of the formation with your lives and don't let any titans breakthrough," he glanced to the other soldiers, and after that, the blond man steered his white stallion direction to the east.

"Gelgar, I'll leave you in charge here," Mike commanded.

Hange gave a hard look to her squad. "Do your thing, Moblit. Please be careful," she said somewhat worried.

Keeping up with Erwin, they hurriedly swerved and followed him, tethering their horses and switching to 3DM Gear. They altered their course every now and then according to Mike's guidance, flying nimbly among the leafy branches.

"I can't believe you still have plans left in your head!" Hange shrieked.

"Plan!? More like fight them all and hope to not die!" Moses yelled, smirking at Erwin. "But not bad at all!"

"When necessary, we must willing to take the big risks, and be prepared to lose everything! I do mean _everything_!" Erwin uttered unequivocally. "How about you all!?"

Erwin looked at his comrades one by one: Mike sniffed in his odd way that Erwin deduced as an approval; Moses dipped her head in a stalwart nod; Hange stared at Erwin with vibrant sparkles behind her goggles.

"Looks good!" said Erwin. "Mike, what's the direction!?"

"Ahead of us, not too far!" said Mike. "We will encounter them soon!"

The four Squad Leaders, the strongest and most competent combatants of Survey Corps were reeling the wires in and launching the hooks continuously. Each one of them knew exactly what was going to happen: they might not survive; the air they're breathing right now might be their last; in the next seconds they might die.

They knew very well what lied ahead of them was a gate to hell.

But even knowing all of those perilous risks, they keep moving forward steadily to face and exterminate the enemies. No trace of fear and hesitation were perceptible on their faces. Indefatigable fighters, defenders of humanity, flew through the thunderous rain and turbulent air like released arrows, with unflinching determination etched upon their very brave souls.

These are the people who had sworn to give their hearts for the greater good of mankind's welfare and had dedicated their lives to reclaim what had been lost from humanity.

The oaths had been spoken, so the actions must be taken to fulfill them, at all cost.

They had nothing to lose.

"Fighting together like this, really brings the old memories," Hange croaked all of sudden, giggling with happy face. "The last time we fought together was…two years ago, I think."

"I'm sure it's longer than that, Hange," Moses chimed in, swinging beside her. "Erwin and I already became Squad Leader at that time."

"So, was it four years ago?" asked Hange confusedly, looking at Mike. "I remember I was in the same squad with you, Mike."

"Four years ago? You mean, the expedition when I retrieved you from titan's stomach after you foolishly jumped into the mouth to see what kind of digestive system they had?" said Mike simply.

"What are you talking about!? I already forgot about it!" Hange retorted, darting a very irate look.

"Relax, no one will ever forget about it," Mike assured, smirking teasingly. "Especially when you looked so clammy in that nasty slime and smelled like garbage for the rest of the day."

"Shut up!" Hange fumed, and Mike replied her tantrum with snigger. "You promised me you would never talk about it again!"

Moses roared with derisive guffawing until he ran out of breath, even Erwin's lips quirked into a weak smirk when he turned his face to Hange.

"Oh please not both of you too!" the brunette soldier shouted hotly, glaring to Moses. "Stop laughing God damn it!"

"Sorry — Hange — now I remember it — it was — very — ludicrous —" Moses panted pleadingly between his laughter. "Man, I miss this kind of moment. We've been very busy with our duty as squad leader, let alone attending meetings and working on reports. We rarely have time to hang out."

"And in my case, I'm too busy with my experiments. I even forgot when was the last time we went to bar together," said Hange.

"You're a workaholic, Hange. I'm a squad leader and my drinking schedule is just fine," said Mike.

"Yeah, because Lynne and Nanaba always help you with the reports, so you, Gelgar and Henning always have time for that stupid monthly drinking contest," said Moses, sounded a bit jealous with him.

"Or is it a date with Nana? You usually go out with her on days off, right? Right?" Hange pried excitedly. "I'm sure I saw you two in Trost last month, walking out from your favorite bar, but she never admit it were she and you!"

"I'm not confirming that," said Mike tersely in his calm demeanor.

"Whoa, Mike! You and Nanaba still sneaking out for secret date!?" said Moses in shock. "I thought you two are already together!"

"My mouth will remain silent," said Mike conversationally, leering to Hange. "I'm not gonna tell you anything. You will spread another gossips to every corner and person in Legion. Nanaba hates them."

"I'm telling the truth! Not gossips!" Hange corrected. "You can't blame me for enlightening people!"

"We really have to drink together after we get back from this, just like the good old days, and you have to tell us everything, man!" Moses demanded.

"Or make him drunk enough so he will spit everything out!" Hange sneered at Mike, laughing with Moses; the tallest Squad Leader just exhaled wearily to see his comrades' nosy habit.

"We can reminisce the old days and interrogate his love life later!" Erwin sharply cut in. "Fifteen titans are in sight! Commence diversionary tactics!"

The swarms of titans were greeting them in the clearing. Erwin took the lead, while the others dispersed the formation to surround the titans. Having the longest comradeship for years in Survey Corps, they worked together as a formidable team. Their movements were so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves among the monsters and executed devastating assaults without single strike missed. The strong chain of trust linked them together as one, making them relying on each other as if they already knew what they had to do.

The fighting pace became faster, but deadlier and more brutal. Cutting, slashing, dodging, swinging between the lethal grasps, everything happened in the blink of an eye, even so, they had the upper hand as the gigantic monsters fell one by one.

Another fifteen minutes of fast and furious massacring scene later, there were only three titans left. Mike gave a perfect assist by soaring close to the ground, cutting the achilles tendon of three titans successively. Hange and Erwin dived from the sky, severing the napes as fiercely as possible. Moses was flying high above and launching the finishing blow on the last titan. Four of them embedded the hooks to the trees, panting breathlessly and looking at their hard-earned outcome; the carcasses evaporated rapidly and hindered their visions with thick steams.

"Guys! I'm running out of blades!" Moses yelled with obvious frustration.

"Are there more, Mike!?" Erwin cried out.

"Yes! They are coming from —" Mike shouted but his voice was drowned by bloodcurdling howls.

Four titans were running straight to them, hands grabbing horridly to savor the mouthwatering preys.

"WHERE IN THE WORLD IS LEVI!?" Hange hollered desperately at top of her lungs as she reloaded her blades. "Damn it! Where is that titans dicing machine when we need him the most!?"

The closest titan tried to slam Hange but the only thing it hit was the tree trunk, debris of woods and branches scattering everywhere. The spectacled soldier aimed her hooks to the next tree just before the gigantic hand broke her spine. She dodged the next savage attack, hurriedly swirling up and severing the napes in marvelous precision.

Meanwhile, Mike and Erwin were working in impeccable coordination to bring down three titans. With no blades left in the scabbard, Moses was circling around the titans, trying to draw its attention while Mike and Erwin butchering the necks; both of them succeeded to kill the monsters, but Erwin broke his last blades.

The last enemy, twenty meters class deviant were charging to Erwin with fists held up high, and vigorously smacking the tree where he embedded his hooks. Erwin escaped the sudden attack by mere inches and flew to his side, the same moment the titan chased him and stretched its mouth open right before him.

"ERWIN!" Moses shouted.

Moses was literally racing with the cruel fate as he propelled himself to Erwin and kicked him downward.

"Moses —" Erwin panted as he fell down, eyes dilated in dread.

It was like the time froze and everything moved in very slow motion; their eyes met, and Moses smiled to Erwin as if he was very glad that Erwin was saved. Split seconds later, the time was back to its normal speed and the titan maw closed with horrifying reverberation.

The three squad leaders was petrified when they witnessed their comrade was trapped and got crushed between its brick-sized teeth, bursting violently into bloody rain.

"MOSES!" Hange screamed frantically.

Mike and Hange launched their hooks at the monster; both of them sliced the cheeks at the same time, severing the muscles that supporting the jaw. Erwin aimed his hooks to the mouth and reached out, desperately trying to save Moses, or rather, saving what is left behind of him…

An arm.

A part of what used to be Moses' right arm, swaying and splattering blood, was the only thing that he managed to salvage from its maw.

The attack was successfully evoking more predacious reaction from the deviant as it became more aggressive toward them. Erwin jumped back and tried to keep the distance. Mike embedded his anchors, coming to realization that his last pair of blade was already dull. Hange evaded the crucial assault, frustrated with the busted blades in her hand.

They didn't have any blades to fight.

Without weapons to eliminate the enemy, all they could do just swinging around to dodge the brutal aggression. It's only a matter of time before the gas running out and they lost their mobility…

It was pointless to prolong the battle. No matter what they would do, the result was clear: they're all gonna meet their ends here. Erwin and Hange already maintained their distance, while Mike was the closest one to the titan. Before the tallest soldier could flee, titan was running to him and grabbing his leg, ready to devour him.

In the next millisecond, a green flash hurled in front of him, slashing the fingers and extricating his leg, freeing him from the monster's grasp.

It was Nanaba; she swooped down out of nowhere, maneuvering upside down behind the titan and brilliantly slit the thick flesh on the nape with one powerful attack. She landed in haste next to Mike who was sprawling on a branch.

"Are you okay?" asked Nanaba, brushing her fingers through his blond hair, blood tainting her palm.

"Little cuts, I'm fine," said Mike, smiling. "That was a brilliant execution."

"I told you, I could fight solo."

"What happened with defending the troops?"

"Gelgar ordered to reinforce main force, but I remember your blades and gas are running low because of the previous fight," she explained while helping Mike to stand up. "So I tracked down the horses and found you all here."

"You broke my chain of command!?" said Mike, his voice shaking.

"Yes, to save your life," Nanaba replied lightly, beaming. "You can't penalize me for that, right?"

"Nana! You saved us!" Hange squeaked, landing near them and hugging the blond woman. "I thought we were done for!"

"So, is it done?" asked Nanaba to Mike.

"I don't smell anything," said Mike, sniffing. "Maybe the main troops already out of forest."

"The rain seems to chill out a bit. The signal flare may work," said Hange. She pulled out gun flare from her jacket and shot to the sky.

Thunders were no longer booming and the wild rainstorm started to simmer down, still showering the earth with heavy rain but not dropping painful bullets of water like before. The blue smoke soared to the cloudy sky, and they waited full of hope to see any signals from the other soldiers.

"Blue flare confirmed!" Nanaba exclaimed, seeing wisps of smoke rose into the air far ahead of them.

Overly relieved, they landed to the ground and approached Erwin, who was staring at the steaming carcasses.

"Erwin! The main force made it through the forest alive!" said Hange.

"Good then," said Erwin.

"Erwin," Mike panted, "you're the most genius man I ever met in my life."

"It's not gonna work without all of your help, and sacrifices…" Erwin muttered quietly, walking closer to the white steam.

"Oh God! Is that —" Nanaba gasped, clasping her mouth with shaky hand.

Erwin knelt on the ground, before him, a bloody shred of mutilated human arm lying helplessly. He picked it up with trembling hand. All of them quickly looked around, searching for another pieces of human flesh they could retrieve. Suddenly, Hange burst into muffled snivels and slide her goggles to her forehead, mopping her eyes with her sleeve while Nanaba wrapped her arms around her shoulder.

"I guess this is all that left of him," said Mike, handing over the tattered, blood-spilled green cloak to Erwin then turning to Hange. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay! Sorry — I'm just —" Hange spoke with a voice choked with tears, burying her face into her hands. "Moses — he — damn it!"

"Pull yourself together, Hange," said Erwin softly, wrapping the arm with the cloak; his expression was stony as if the algid temperature was freezing him from skin to bone marrow.

"Yes! Yes. Yes… Trust me… I'm trying my best right now, Erwin, but —" Hange looked at Erwin and bit her lip, seemed very frustrated because she couldn't control the excessive tears that spilling from her brown eyes. "Didn't he just say…we would drink together after this…just like the good old times? Now he's —"

She didn't finish her sentence as she buried her face again into her palms. She didn't want to utter the word, because she knew it would cause more painful stabs to everyone's chest, and especially Erwin's.

Erwin clutched the bundle in his arm, staring at the bloodstained on his cloak; it didn't evaporate, because it wasn't titan blood. It wasn't his either. It was Moses' blood, from the split second when he vanished and turned into spatter of blood…

A moment of reverent silence slithered in the air and the atmosphere of bitterness and sorrow were almost tangible.

Everything had a price. It said people couldn't get something without tossing away something they already had. People had to sacrifice something to get something new, that's how the way it worked.

Sounded very simple, right?

Simple, but it's not easy, because the price that needed to be paid requiring the sacrifices of human lives.

And this time, it was the live of their comrade.

Deaths were not something unfamiliar to them. As veteran soldiers who had fought against titans for many years, they had witnessed uncountable deaths. Deaths greeted them every day. It always happened over and over again.

Dying was easy, but coping with someone else's demise was a living hell, and definitely something they would never get used to.

How could they get over tormenting experience like this: their friend was here minutes ago, bantering and laughing with them, and the next moment he met his end in tragic death right in front of their eyes?

How could they get used to something so hurtful and traumatizing?

But they had to, willing to or not, they must do it.

They had to fight. They had to raise their blades again and fight.

No matter how emotionally decimated they were, they didn't have time to succumb to grief and misery, because mourning was not going to help anyone or anything.

Because their fight was not over yet, so they had to be strong and move on.

After what seemed hours of silence, Erwin beckoned to his comrades. "Let's regroup with the main force," he said weakly with the same emotionless face.

"You can't face your subordinates like this," said Nanaba to Hange, tenderly patting her back.

"Yeah, right. Bursting out like this… So pathetic of me," said Hange with more stable bearing, wearing her goggles again.

Four of them were heading back to their horses and galloping toward the blue smoke. The rain was getting lighter with the gray clouds rolling away. The surrounding area seemed very safe; no titans were within sight though Mike kept sniffing vigilantly. They finally arrived at a clearing, just before the edge of the forest. Dismounting at once, they were thunderstruck by the devastated circumstances. The main troops of Survey Corps were absolutely in awful condition: destroyed wagons; injured soldiers with broken arms and legs were lying helplessly; stack of what it seemed to be corpses were piling up on the ground.

Without further ado, Nanaba dashed to medics' wagons, barking orders to the corpsmen.

"Squad Leader Hange!" Moblit called loudly, rushing to her. "Ma'am, the fourth squad succeed to guard the logistics wagons, but there are some serious damage within the squad."

"How many casualties? We got all the bodies?" Hange asked, fighting to keep her voice casual and calm, quickly heading to her squad with Moblit.

"Erwin, you did the best you capable of. It's not your fault," said Mike, tapping his shoulder then walking to his squad.

Erwin breathed out a long, heavy sigh, tightening his clutch to the bloody bundle in his arm. "He died under my command… Of course it's my responsibility," he said contritely after Mike was not within earshot.

Erwin walked to his squad with halting steps. Many dead bodies of his underlings were lined up on the ground, covered with bloodstained gray cloth. He stared at them one by one as if he was paying his earnest apology with very remorseful gaze from his eyes. "Your sacrifices will not be in vain. I swear, I will make your deaths mean something," he said adamantly in low voice.

"Squad Leader Erwin, may I have the information of the deceased?" said a soldier to him, holding a clipboard.

"This is the remaining of Moses, Leader of the 3rd Squad," said Erwin, handing over the bloody cloak. "Please take care of him. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir," the soldier received the bundle, scribbled something on the clipboard and walked away, leaving Erwin alone, who was still gazing blankly at the corpses.

"Erwin," Hange called to him, already standing beside him. "I'm done checking our troops condition, I gotta say this is very bad."

"We didn't anticipate the weather would be this ruinous," said Ewin, didn't seem able to tear his vacant stare away from the corpses.

"Yes, the bad weather was really affecting our troops' performance," said Hange. "Most of the left and right flank was annihilated. It seemed the titans that went through us in the beginning caused a significant damage to our formation."

"Which means, we're commencing the plan too late," Erwin concluded bitterly. "We should had commenced it before we entered the forest."

"Yes, probably, but this doesn't make any sense," she hesitated. "I mean, Levi was in the right flank… Cloudburst is not gonna stop him from dicing titans."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know."

Disconcerted, Erwin slowly turned his head to her. "He's not here?"

"I haven't seen him," said Hange tremulously.

"NO! MICHAEL! PLEASE HANG ON! NO! NOOOO!"

Erwin and Hange turned their heads to the plaintive cry that coming from the medics' wagon. Both of them approached the wagon, recognizing the devastated-looking soldiers were members of Levi's squad. They saw two soldiers kneeling on the ground; the female soldier was crying and the badly injured male soldier was gazing with despondent stare at two dead bodies in front of him. Erwin looked keenly around, realizing the raven-haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"No… Michael… Rudolf…" Flora moaned into her palms. "It can't be…"

"Josef, Flora," said Hange softly. "What happened to your squad? Where is Levi?"

Josef seemed losing his ability to respond as though his soul had left his body. Flora looked up to Hange with reddened eyes.

"C-captain Levi… He…he… He f-f-fell to…t-the gorge…" said Flora tearfully between her hiccups.

"HE WHAT!?" Hange bellowed, eyes widened in frightened. "Dear God! Don't tell me he is dead…"

"How could that happen?" asked Erwin with his composure but his voice sounded very aghast.

Flora was too hysterical to answer, sobbing noisily Michael's body. She parted her lips and tried to compose a sentence but only snivels and hiccups came from her mouth. Hange knelt beside her, gently patting her shoulder to calm her down.

"The Deviants broke through the formation, attacked the right flank," said Josef shakily, with vapid eyes fixating at Rudolf's corpse as he recalled the moment. "We disbanded the formation to counterattack, and then… One of the titans picked up the trunk and threw it right at us, but Captain Levi saved me and, and… The trunk hit him… He was unconscious by the impact, falling to the gorge…"

"Alex tried to save him, but she also fell to the river. They got caught up in the current, being drifted away. We don't know where they are now…" Flora continued, eventually transforming her snivels into more understandable words. "After that, the right flank was in chaos…"

Hange and Erwin exchanged desperate and perplexed looks; both of the humanity's strongest soldier and the best new recruits in Survey Corps were presumed dead? Even in Erwin's most fucked up scenario, that possibility was next to impossible.

After learning the wretched truth of what happened, Hange and Erwin trudged downheartedly toward Mike and the Commander.

"Erwin, Hange, what is the situation of your squad?" asked Keith throatily.

"Terrible," said Hange.

"I'm afraid my squad is no longer able to function properly," said Erwin rigidly.

"Commander," called a soldier who just came hurriedly, "we're almost done with tending the wounded, checking our supplies and identifying the casualties. Here are the reports, sir."

"Thank you, Pere," said Keith, receiving the clipboard.

"Total casualties are one hundred and three soldiers, twenty seven were severely injured, thirty two have moderate injury, forty two were KIA but we only managed to retrieve twenty three corpses, and two are MIA," said Pere, facing Erwin. "Captain Levi and Cadet Ritter are nowhere to be found."

"I see," Keith spoke grimly, staring at the report papers with pensive look.

"How about our logistics units? How bad was it?" asked Erwin to Pere.

"Forty percent of our provisions were lost, however, the supplies for the resupply station are not severely damaged," Pere confirmed.

"Erwin, this is going far out of our hands…" Hange said in an undertone. "Very awry."

"Commander, what should we do now?" asked Mike.

Keith clenched his fists and gave the papers back to Pere. He stood up straight, walking steadily to the throng of soldiers.

"All men, on your position! Tend the injured soldiers and get them on the wagon immediately! We will retreat to Dieburg Fortress!"

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

**-Night-**

Daylight faded away as the sun feebly attempted to shine just a while longer. Twilight fell from the skyline, with vivid color of scarlet and orange radiance gradually disappeared. The sky went darker as the dusk finally blanketed the atmosphere and brought the nighttime into the universe. Myriad celestial constellations were shining bright like diamonds; their delicate glows accompanied the full moon that glistening palely between clouds. The noises of nocturnal creatures were taking over the world, like chirping crickets, the sound of flapping wings of bats, soft hooting of owls coming from the forest…

And speaking about the forest, the woody vegetation area now looked ten times more dangerous than it was on daytime. It was black as coal, dreary and ghastly, with tall shadowed pines stretching up like arrows into the sky. Treetops and branches swayed alarmingly in a chilly night breeze. Not forgot to mention titans, mostly Deviants, inhabited this forest.

Logically speaking, no human being in right mind would go there in this situation.

But there were two soldiers of Survey Corps standing cautiously near the rear, under the shady shadow of beech tree. How unfortunate for them, they had no other choice but venturing into the darkness of the woods if they wanted to face another sunrise.

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Levi as he looked around.

Beside him, the new cadet read the map in her hands. She examined their surroundings carefully: glancing to the massive waterfall behind them before rolling her eyes to the dense forest in front of them then facing her unconvinced captain with a confident nod.

"Yes. We're standing right here," Alex showed him the map, tapping on the paper with her finger on the words 'Titan Falls', "and the hill is here, so…" she pulled straight line from their supposedly position to the little triangle mark labeled 'Rotwand'.

She opened the compass, moving it to the left and right until the magnetized pointer hold still to a specific direction. "We're heading that way," she pointed to the random spot of bleak forest.

Levi's furrow crinkled deeper at the direction of her index finger and stared at her, clearly not sure with her judgment. "If you screw up, we both will die," he reminded.

"I know what I'm doing," she said with a confident tone as though she did something like this every day, already making her way to enter the forest. She stopped when she noticed the raven-haired man was not following her. "Are we going or not, sir?" she asked, turning to him with a slight confused look.

Levi froze on his spot, squinting his eyes and folding his arms. "How can you be so sure?"

"The hill is located southeast from here, and that is southeast," she tried to convince him, showing the small compass.

"You'll just get us strayed in wilderness of titans."

"I'm using map and compass, Captain. I'm not randomly pinpointing our direction."

"Give it to me," said Levi, reaching out his hand.

The girl handed over the map and compass. "You don't trust me, do you?" she guessed.

He unfolded the map, but his stern glare didn't move from her hazel eyes. "No," he uttered hastily then read the map.

"Sir, to be honest, I think they retreated to Dieburg Fortress," said Alex boldly with a tone of acceptable politeness in her voice. "I'm the one with the compass and map, I could have left you here and head to north if I wanted to."

Levi rolled his eyes from the map and glared at her again. "You have some guts, for threatening me with insubordination," he said gruffly.

"No, I'm just saying there are many things I could do instead of following you."

"Listen, brat," Levi took few steps forward, standing in front her face in menacing gesture. "I don't care what you're capable to do. If you want to see another sunlight, you have to go to Rotwand Hill with me."

"What if I don't want to go there?" said Alex lightly in the same polite manner. "What will you do, sir? Knock me out and drag me there?"

"Are you asking me for a fight?" he asked with expressionless face, but his voice was very intimidating.

"What I'm trying to say," Alex tried to correct him, slightly raising her tone of voice, "I don't want to go to Rotwand Hill, but I will follow you because I trust you."

The raven-haired man blinked; his cold glare turned into more benign look. "You don't have to trust me," he said while giving back the map and compass. "I don't know whether my choice is right or wrong. You should make a choice from yourself. So if you want to head north, just do it."

"That's not what I'm talking about," said Alex, pushing his hand away. "Yes, I want to head north, but my point is —"

"Choose what you will regret the least," Levi demanded sharply. "Which one will you choose?"

"No, I just —"

"We can argue all night here, or we can argue while heading to Rotwand Hill, which means you have to follow me," Levi interrupted impatiently. "Are you going with me or not? Decide now. We're wasting our time."

"Alright. Lead the way Captain. I'll follow you. You can keep the map and compass," said Alex, exhaling sorely. "We're going to the direction I told you earlier, right?"

Levi shot another frigid stare as he walked pass her; Alex smiled victoriously behind his back. After the last meticulous examination of their surrounding, they entered the forest. Petrichor smell greeted them with damp leaves rustling over their heads, showering them with soft drizzle. Levi trod lightly and carefully, trying to make as little contact with the mud as possible.

"Good thing the full moon is showing up," said Levi, glancing up to the moon shining through lattice of leaves.

"Now I get it why we moved at sunset. Walking around in darkness without any threats is so much better than fighting endless horde of titans."

"Tch. Know your enemy better before you attack, rookie."

"I will, Captain. Once we regroup, I will ask her to tell me more about them!" she said happily.

Levi leered at her with a faint revolted expression. "Her? Don't tell me you are going to chitchat with that lunatic again," he complained.

"Squad Leader Hange is really interested in them. I never met anyone who could be so detail in explaining subject like that. She really loves her job, doesn't she? I bet she has studied titans for years," said Alex, sounded very impressed. "She's probably gonna be envy with us if we find Deviants in this forest tonight."

"You don't have to tell me that. It's very obvious. That freak probably dying to live in this forest to satisfy her crazy obsession," said Levi tartly.

"But I think her idea is brilliant! If we can observe them in their natural habitat, then maybe we can learn something new about them!" Alex continued to chatter, seemed talking to herself. "Or maybe catch one and bring them to the wall, but…the collateral damage of that process will be too much to handle. That doesn't mean it will be impossible to do though, if engineering division could make a wagon big enough to carry three meter class titans then —"

Levi stopped abruptly and turned to her, grabbing and shaking her shoulder. He deadlocked his eyes on her as if he was examining her for something very contagious, tilting her head to left and right. "What did exactly she do to you last night?" he inquired.

"Huh? What do you mean, sir?"

"Did she brainwash you? Poisoned you with drugs?" asked Levi, now checking her lower eyelids.

"No! Of course not!" Alex denied briskly. "Why do you think she did that?"

"Because you're starting to talk like her," Levi grumbled, turning his heels. "The last thing I need is mini Hange who can't keep her mouth shut."

"I just think her theories are interesting," said Alex, walking beside him again. "We don't know much about them because we never spend enough time to observe, right? Maybe spending few days in this forest will bring us new —"

"For the sake's of my sanity, please, stop, talking," Levi interjected, somewhat pleading to her. "Get rid that fucking stupid idea from your head, don't even bother to think about useless rubbish like that."

"But, sir, you said I need to know the enemy better. The more we —"

"Oi. Not everyone is passionately interested in giant naked humanoid creatures," he snarled harshly with more revolted look graven on his face.

"Okay then… I'm sorry, sir." said Alex quietly, finally getting the fact that her captain was clearly disgusted with the talk about titans.

"Keep walking, rookie. Don't you dare roaming around in this forest."

"I'm right behind you, sir," she said, and this time she's literally behind him.

Crackling sound of breaking twigs accompanied their footsteps on moist soil. The night trip was not a bad idea; everything seemed way too tranquil and deserted compared to the atrocious bloodbath that happened few hours ago. It felt as though the nighttime were providing them with absolute guarantee of security as they strolling with ease, until the auburn-haired girl gripping Levi's elbow very hard.

"There's something over there," she whispered, her eyes darting a very wary stare.

Levi turned to her eyes' direction only to see endless darkness. "I don't see anything."

"Four titans. Coming to this direction," she whispered, already holding her handgrips.

"How did you know?"

"I hear them. Their footsteps."

Levi eventually heard movement, muffled thumps that sounded so distant but definitely getting louder. "You're right! Come on!"

They sprinted with all their might, scurrying through dense bushes and trees. The blaring noises were after them and they could feel the earth-quaking tremor shaking the ground.

"Switch to 3DM Gear! Now!" Levi shouted.

"Yes, sir!"

In brief moment after they launched the hooks and flew forward, a Deviant jumped from above and almost squashed them flat under the soles of its feet. More titans were emerging from the blackness, four titans, like Alex had predicted, pursuing them aggressively.

"Captain! They almost keep up with us!" Alex shrieked.

Levi looked back and gnashed his teeth; the closest titan was just ten meters behind. "I'll take care of this! You go forward!" he ordered.

"You can't possibly fight with that injury!" Alex protested harshly, her blades drawn at her sides. "Leave the fight to me!"

"I can't let an amateur fight alone!" Levi yelled.

But she was absolutely right. His left shoulder kept throbbing painfully, even a simple maneuver to propel himself forward putting an unbearable strain on his wound. It felt like shards of broken glass were piling up inside his flesh and tearing his joint apart every time he moved.

Pushing the agony aside, Levi plugged his blades in. "Go! That's an order!"

"No!" she persisted. "With all due respect, Captain, I am the best soldier of my class! I will eliminate all the titans! And that's not a bluff!"

"It's not the time to brag about your rank among the amateurs!" Levi snapped angrily.

"Sir, I can fight! You have to trust me!" Alex helplessly implored. "Give me the order to attack!"

Levi was about to kick her to knock her out so she would retreat from battle, when their eyes met. Her hazel eyes eradiated a ferocious look — the same one he saw in their fisticuffs — showing her avidity and courage to fight. His gaze was ping ponging from her fiery stare to the running beasts behind them. Realizing how dire the situation was, Levi gave her a nod of assent.

"I'll distract them, you handle all the cutting!" he finally commanded.

"Got it sir!" she shot her grapple-hooks upward, flying higher and concealing herself among the lush greenery.

Levi aimed his anchors forward, flying provokingly in front of the titans. "This way, you damn bastards!"

He lured them away and successfully gained their attention. While they're busy swinging their arms to smack Levi, Alex hurtled from above, firing her anchors to the nape and severing the flesh in one rapid swoop. She hunted the next enemy, moving toward the three titans, making a fast flight to reach the necks. Her blades danced in the dimness as she came face to face with the giants and launched audacious assaults without hesitation. Alex went on her ballistic mode, flying seamlessly and dodging the life-threatening counterattacks with swift moves.

It was a successful surprise attack. She carved the last chunk of titan nape and put an end to the fierce battle. She embedded her anchors to the trunk then screamed when she turned her head to Levi.

"Sir! Behind you!" Alex shouted frighteningly, firing her hooks again.

Levi was standing on the branch on the opposite direction far from her. Apparently, the hellish ruckus attracted other titans in the near vicinity. Five Deviants jumped from his back like as though they had planned an ambuscade. He reversed the handgrip in his right hand reflexively, the sharp edge now facing upward. With all the exertion and endeavor to endure his excruciating pain, Levi flung to the enemies and engaged them in combat.

Alex was hanging in the air with jaw dropping when she witnessed Levi maneuvering with 3DM Gear in his top speed.

That very moment, she fully understood why he was worthy to be dubbed Humanity's Strongest Soldier.

The raven-haired man was utilizing his gear to its maximum potential, hardly looked like he was using the grapple-hooks or the wires at all. He moved so skillfully, ricocheting in indescribable velocity that he looked weightless and unsupported. Spiraling up to the height as if there were invisible wings fluttered on his back, he reloaded his blades in the midair and plummeted with a huge spurt of speed. Levi was twirling brutally to the neck of titans with his sharp blades swirling around him, slashing everything that blocking his way. He effortlessly accelerated from the ground to the air, swinging back and forth, changing his direction without difficulty as though the universal law of gravitation didn't apply to him.

The fight ended in less than a minute, somehow looked like one-sided mass slaughter. Titans were falling with cacophonous thuds that shook the ground and trees like an earthquake. Levi fired his hooks and flumped himself on a branch, looked he barely able to stand up.

"Captain Levi! Are you okay!?" asked Alex, landing in front of him.

"I don't think so…" he grimaced, leaning his back on the tree and panting heavily.

"Is it your shoulder again?" asked Alex worryingly.

Alex started to take off his jacket and unfasten the straps on his chest. She carefully unbuttoned his white shirt because Levi grunted in pain even with the lightest movement on his shoulder.

"How could titans move at night?" asked Alex, still struggling to take off his shirt.

"Almost two hours passed after sunset. Maybe some deviants could stay longer," said Levi. "Four eyes said they have different habits compared to the usual titans, but that lunatic never mentioned something like this."

"Maybe it's never happened before?" said Alex, sounded too enthusiastic.

"Maybe. We should wait for few more hours, just to be safe," said Levi, glancing at his aching shoulder. "How is it?"

"This doesn't look good…" Alex commented with concerned tone, touching his swollen shoulder tenderly. "I'll redo the wrapping. You shouldn't fight again until this heal properly, sir."

"Don't tell me what to do," said Levi coldly.

Alex cocked her eyebrow. "I'm suggesting it for your health."

"Then what? Leaving all the fighting to greenhorn like you?" Levi snorted.

It was dim but Levi could discern her expression went stiff and her eyes were striking an upset look to him.

"What?" asked Levi, getting irritated with her unmoved stare.

"Why were you insisting to keep me away from the fight, sir?" she pouted indignantly. "I know my appearance is too childish, and after today, you must be thinking I'm a total idiot with uncontrolled hyperactivity… Well, maybe I am, but I'm not useless in fighting," her voice became more hoarse, seemed like she's trying hard to keep her manner of speaking as polite as possible. "I can fight, probably much better than most soldiers in Survey Corps."

Levi averted his eyes from her. "I'm your superior, your life is my responsibility," he said matter-of-factly as though it justified all of his actions.

Alex crinkled her forehead, looked very confused and disturbed. "Is that the reason why you said you're not gonna let me die?" she asked with a distraught look.

"Maybe," he replied shortly.

"Why are you like that?"

"If you're asking me because you prefer to be let out alone to roam in this forest without supervision, you are really a suicidal brat."

"No, I mean why —"

"Will you stop inquiring me with unnecessary questions and shut the hell up, annoying brat!?" said Levi cuttingly, frowning and darting a very annoyed glare at her.

The girl shut her mouth surly, bandaging his shoulder gingerly but her face still looked as confused as before. She helped him to put back his uniform, and Levi mumbled a small "Thanks," which she replied with a bitter smile. They waited patiently as the evening grew darker, sitting on the branch in very long undisturbed quietness. After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, Levi ordered to continue, assuming it was safe enough for them to stroll again without encountering another titans.

They went deeper and deeper into the forest, walking vigilantly until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so dense and close. No light could penetrate the thick foliage — the stars and moon were no longer visible — making the environs pitch-black.

Then out of the blue, Alex yelped stridently and slammed her face to the muddy soil, accidentally tripping on bumpy roots.

"Watch where you're walking, brat," Levi chided, grabbing her by the cloak.

"Sir, I barely see anything," Alex sputtered, propping herself to get up.

"We need to make torch. Still have the lighters?"

Alex handed him the lighters. Levi quickly made a small torch with twig and a little piece of green fabric from her cloak, also using the volatile fuel from the lighters to set up the fire. In return, Levi gave his handkerchief to her so she could clean the mud stain on her face.

"Hold my hand," said Levi, offering his right palm, while his other hand holding the torch, "so you don't trip again," he quickly added when she was about to open her mouth to ask.

The weak flame shone alone in the sea of darkness. They walked very closely to each other, twisting and jerking at every unfamiliar sound, which turned out to be the noise of startled small animals rushing along the forest floor to a hiding place. They tried to maintain their steady walking pace in order to reach their destination before dawn. It was a long — felt like hours had passed since they entered the forest — and exhausting journey. Levi occasionally checked the compass to make sure they're not lost.

All of sudden, Levi squeezed Alex's hand very tightly, halting her step. "Do you hear that?" he asked alertly.

It was vague, but audible; series of guttural noises like someone was being throttled while trying to breathe, rumbling uninterruptedly.

"Yes… It's coming from there," said Alex, pointing the curtain of hanging vines and the tangled branches ahead of them.

"What is that sound?"

"Sounds like…umm…snoring?"

They stared at each other, exchanging very puzzled and alarmed looks.

"Should we go there?"

"We have to, it's southeast," said Levi, looking at the compass.

"Okay…" Alex squeaked weakly.

Striding very warily, they broke through branches and vines. The eerie noises were enveloping them from every corner. With only relying feeble light from the torch, it was too dark to see anything outside the little sphere of light. They continued to walk further, ignoring the noises, when the clouds above their heads parted and the moon peeked again, illuminating the pitch-dark area with soft glow. When their eyes caught the views of their surrounding, Levi let out a very exasperated sigh and Alex drew a shuddering gasp, tightening her clutch on Levi's arm and hiding behind him.

"God damn it… Is this hell?" said Levi, looking around in utter vexation.

"Are they…sleeping, sir?" Alex whispered with bated breath.

They stood in the center of clearing. The faint ray of moonlight was gleaming over the open area, revealing an obnoxious, hair-raising, unearthly sight that looked like…titans sleepover party. The monstrous titans, too many to be counted, were sleeping peacefully under the silvery moonlight; some were lying on the stomach and some others were rolling to sides and scratching their tummy. There were five titans piling up against each other; the fifteen meters class was acting like a big, comfy mattress while the other smaller titans sleeping on its body.

After a short moment standing in pure bewilderment, the two soldiers were tiptoeing very slowly between the monsters, holding their breath as if the titans would wake up upon hearing their frenetic panting.

"If they wake up, we will be done for. Be careful and don't roam around," Levi warned deadly. "You hear me, rookie?"

Levi felt his heart jumping from his ribcage and rolling rapidly to the ground when he turned around and found out that his subordinate was nowhere near him.

"Where the hell is she!?" he hissed, very outraged.

He held the torch high over his head, trying to see as far as possible to find the annoying girl before she ended up dead.

"Oi! Brat!" Levi suppressed his overly wrathful voice into a low-pitched whisper. "Where the hell are you!?"

"I'm over here, sir," came a soft whisper.

Levi strode to her voice with a lot of detours as if he was walking inside tricky labyrinth. He finally found her in a condition he never ever imagined. Alex knelt in front of a face of titan, which its head was twelve times bigger than her body size. She shoved her hand to the nostril as though she was trying to pull something from the inside.

Trembling with fury, Levi snatched her head, gripping it tightly. "Do you have a death wish, stupid brat? Want me to make it come true?" he whispered menacingly in her ear.

"Captain, this titan is not breathing!" Alex whispered back, apparently not perturbed by Levi's vicious threat at all. "Here, sir, try to feel it!" she grasped Levi's hand from her head and shoved it to the nostril.

"What the hell!?" Levi snarled, harshly pulling his arm and wincing in disgust. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"They don't need air to live! This is so weird!" Alex whispered dramatically.

"Enough! We don't have time for this!"

She completely ignored him because her attention was too focused with the strange phenomenon. Her curiosity was evidently aroused as she trotted noiselessly to the next sleeping titan and stared unblinkingly at its face. "This one is not breathing too! It's not snoring!" she chirped with a great jolt of excitement.

"I've had enough of this shit," Levi grumbled petulantly through his clenched jaw. He wrapped his right hand around her waist and picked her up, shouldering her tiny figure on his right shoulder.

"Captain Levi! Please put me down!"

"Like hell I will," said Levi curtly, scurrying among the restfully sleeping monsters.

"Sir! Please! I can walk on my own!" she pleaded while fighting to extricate herself from his muscular arm.

"Stop resisting brat!" Levi hissed irritably. "If I put you down, you will stay here and spend all the night watching they sleep.

"Umm… You got it right, sir," Alex admitted embarrassedly.

Levi murmured a long collection of nasty swears. He carried her at ease and swiftly passed the clearing, squeezing his way through the sprawling gargantuan limbs and entering the gloomy forest. When the sounds of snoring titans were no longer hearable, he put the petite girl to the ground and scowled at her with irritation.

"I'm really gonna kill four eyes for contaminating your brain," he growled.

"Don't kill her, sir. Her study is a hope for humanity," said Alex seriously which made Levi scowled even more darkly.

For the next one hour of walking, the dreary forest seemed to be friendlier as the trees became less dense. The weak flame finally extinguished but since the spaces between trees became wider, the patches of starry sky could be seen through canopy of leaves and gave them sufficient illumination to see the path.

"We almost reach the edge of this forest. The hill is probably a few miles away," said Alex. "Sir, are you sure they are there?"

"They are there. They have to be there," said Levi firmly, he could not bear to contemplate the alternative.

They walked out from the last shadowy tree and reached a vast and open savanna. On the land very far ahead of them, there was a landform that protruded above the surrounding terrain. It looked like a small lump on the verge of the world.

"That must be the hill," said Alex, rummaging her satchel and pulling out a small collapsible brass telescope. "But I don't see a castle or anything on that," she said a bit worry while gazing through the telescope.

She passed the telescope to Levi, who also didn't see any buildings.

"We need a better view," he said, firing his hooks and climbing up a tree with Alex following him behind.

They leapt to the highest branch. Levi adjusted the telescope and focused his gaze, jamming his eye to the lens.

"Fucking hell…" he cursed with shaky voice.

"What is it, sir?" Alex asked curiously.

Levi didn't say anything; he was completely paralyzed as if his body was made of marble stone.

"Captain," Alex whispered, feeling uneasy with his prolonged silence. "Sir, what's wrong?"

He lowered the telescope slowly, clutching the brass way too tight until his knuckles going white. He slightly turned his head to his subordinate with ashen face. For the first time since the day she met him, Alex saw incredulity in his gray eyes as though he didn't believe what he just saw.

"Captain Levi… What do you see?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for two weeks, I've been busy preparing my graduation.  
It's 30th March, so happy birthday to me and Eren Jaeger! (yes, we share the same birthday :D)  
kittylover195678: Thank you! I'm so glad if you're willing to help me out. I'll send you a PM. :)  
KasukeHagase: Thank you so much! Wow, I'm so flattered :3 *shed tears of joy*. I'm trying to stick with my weekly update schedule, but...college is a cruel place (눈_눈) I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**Attack On Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 5**

"Horses," Levi whispered, very taken aback.

"What?"

"Horses. Being tethered to the fence near the gate." Levi jammed his eye to the lens again. "And dim lights could be seen from the window."

"They're there!?" said Alex in disbelief.

"Absolutely," said Levi, passing the telescope to her.

Alex pressed the telescope to her eye then jumped up and down like a maniac. "Captain! We made it!" she squealed.

"If you're blind, there's still a fucking wide field in front us. We're far from done."

"At least we're in the right way!" she gasped, expressing her relief in small laughter. "But, I really thought they were retreating… How could they succeed to carry out the mission?"

"Because he is really a piece of work," said Levi.

Alex turned to Levi, observing his face and realizing his unflappable expression changed into vague astonishment. "Captain, you looked so…stupefied."

"Erwin said he would make the mission successful no matter what, and now they're there, I guess his plan really worked," he smirked, shaking his head. "That man is really something."

"Well, that's a good news," said Alex, keeping her telescope inside her pocket.

"Let's get going."

They used the 3DM Gear and landed smoothly on the ground, hastily treading to the vast field. They trampled on the grasses; the hill was not look bigger than a mere speck on the edge of the earth, seemed like it would take ages to reach it by feet.

"So, we have to run to that hill?" said Alex.

"What else can we do?"

She exhaled wearily. "This is gonna be a very long night…"

"Are you tired?" asked Levi, looking at her pasty complexion. "We can take a rest before jog until dawn, if you need to."

"Really?"

"If you pass out, it will be so much trouble for me to haul you to there," said Levi, sitting on the grassy land.

"Just about time. I'm really worn out, Captain," she puffed, plonking beside Levi. She opened up her bulging satchel and grabbed a handful of small fruits in her palm.

"Berries, sir?" she offered politely.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the dark colored fruits. "You eat them first."

Knowing the man's cautious behavior, Alex let out a small tired sigh. "Raspberries. They're not poisonous."

"Eat them," he demanded with more stiff voice.

"Alright. Alright."

She munched one and swallowed it quickly while Levi watching the whole process.

"I'm not dead, Captain. Are you convinced now?" She offered her palm again but Levi still had the same suspicious look.

Giving up on persuading him, she put the satchel between them. "If we will jog until dawn, we're gonna need energy," she said lightly, chomping more berries.

At last, Levi hesitatingly took one and chewed slowly. The taste of sweet sour berries melted inside his mouth; it tasted much better than he expected. As he swallowed, he remembered the only thing that passed through his gullet was the coffee he had at dawn. Levi grabbed more berries to alleviate the hunger that reside inside his empty stomach.

Their hands accidentally came in contact when they reached into the satchel to take the berries at the same time. Alex pulled her hand and looked away, letting Levi to take first.

"Shut up," said Levi sharply.

"I'm not saying anything," said Alex confusedly.

"You're laughing inside your head," he accused with stern face.

Alex couldn't hide her gaiety any longer. She finally let out soft chuckling while looking at her captain chewing the fruits. "I told you, we would be hungry, Captain." She smirked at him and bit another berries. "Having picnic in place like this is not bad at all."

They were relishing their simple supper silently and looking around to the tranquil state. The shimmering stars were decorating the inky blackness of night sky above their heads. Silvery moonlight glimmered on the grass. Chilly breeze blew soothingly, and the sound of rustling leaves and grasses were incessantly cantillating like melodies of an almost otherworldly nocturne. If only they're not racing with time to save their lives, this moment would be so great for a cozy late-night snack.

Lost in his thought, Levi suddenly remembered something that kept bugging him this entire time.

"Why did you save me?" he asked, breaking the serene silence.

"Huh?"

"When I fell, but you jumped anyway. That's very damn reckless of you."

Alex stared at her boots and scratched her temple, recalling the moment when she saw Levi got smacked by the trunk, wondering why on earth she desperately flew toward him.

_Why did I save him? It's very obvious._

She moved her gaze Levi, who still looking at her impassively, waiting for her answer.

_But I can't just tell him about it, can I?_

She finally shrugged and shook her head. "I freaked out when I saw you unconscious, sir, and my body moved on its own. When I realized it, I was already being drifted away by the current," she explained.

Levi frowned, clearly not satisfied with her reasoning. "You could have died. Do you even realize it?"

"Yes, I know. But there are always new cadets every year, so many people who can replace me," she said matter-of-factly.

"Don't talk rubbish like that!" Levi snapped brusquely, which made her jerked. "You took an oath to give your heart to humanity, but don't use the words as an excuse to die needlessly!"

Alex gulped nervously; apparently she was perplexed by his furious response. "I'm sorry, sir, but… I think dying for humanity's sake is the gist of action for a member of Survey Corps," she added weakly while her finger twiddled her hair.

"Don't die a pointless death," said Levi, his voice softened.

"It's not pointless to die in order to save you."

"Are you suicidal?" Levi scoffed. "We barely know each other for few days and you're ready to ditch your life for me."

"I will do everything I can to save you," she said forthright, which was getting a very distrustful stare from Levi.

"I-I-I mean, you are the Captain, if you die, what will become of your squad? I bet everyone is worried about you right now," she elaborated in haste.

A strange quiver in her voice told Levi that she might not said the truth. However, he thought what she just said make sense; imagining how upset Erwin would be when he knew about two of his precious chess pieces went MIA, Levi smirked.

"That's a fine logic. I owe you one."

"Sir, I'm not keeping score or anything."

Silence filled the air again when they continued to eat the berries. The satchel came back to its normal size after half of the contents were gone.

"Captain, can I ask you something?"

"Hn."

"Why are you considering my life as your responsibility?" she asked timidly.

"You're still thinking about that? Just drop it," said Levi tartly.

"I'm sorry if I always grind your patience with a lot of questions, but I ask because I don't understand…" she muttered with disheartened face, twiddling her hair again.

"Erwin ordered me to keep an eye on you," Levi explained unwillingly. "You joined this expedition on special request from him to Commander. He demanded me to set an example so you can learn how to fight in real combat. And more importantly, I need to keep you from getting killed."

"I see… But I don't think that necessary," said Alex stubbornly. "I'm capable to take care of myself."

Levi snorted, glancing at her back. "Then you should start taking care of yourself by cutting your hair."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's getting in the way when you're using 3DM Gear. Giving you a hell lot of souvenirs, too," Levi commented mockingly, snatching the tip of her hair and pulling leaves and flakes of twigs.

Alex grasped the end of her long ponytail and awkwardly raked the disheveled auburn strands with her fingers.

"Well, maybe I will cut it a little bit…" she muttered shyly, looking at Levi questioningly. "Then why did you order me to fight with you, sir? You even threatened to kill me, if you're joking, that's not funny."

"I wasn't joking," said Levi prosaically. "I fought you because I wanted to break some of your bones."

"What!?" Alex yelped. She stopped raking her hair, looked extremely paler than she already was.

"I'm against the idea of allowing an amateur like you in this expedition. If you're badly injured to the point you couldn't use 3DM Gear, Erwin had to cancel his request. I planned to break your leg and some ribs. At least, titans can't eat you while you're hospitalized. You'd be safer there than here," he said with his most straight-faced expression, as if he was talking about something very obvious.

Stunned with mouth half-open, Alex gave him an incredulous stare for a long moment. "Thank you, sir, for your…umm, concern… I…appreciate it," she said falteringly after came into understanding that Levi was goddamn serious about it. "Though I'm glad it didn't work out."

"Yeah, because I was wrong about you."

"Wrong about what?"

He tilted his head, locking a firm stare into her hazel eyes. "I misdoubted your competence as a soldier," he said sincerely, giving the compass and map back to her. "We made it this far because of you. I thank you for that, Alex."

The girl stared back at him for a moment with surprised look. Her tiny lips curled into joyful smile as she received her belongings.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Levi.

"It's the first time you say my name," she said softly, still looked very surprised. "Does it mean that you trust me now, Captain?"

"I hate to admit it, but yes. You're not that useless."

"I will take it as a compliment. Thank you, sir."

"You fought well," said Levi, amazement was almost traceable in his voice. "For an amateur who never saw titans in her life before, I gotta say you got some nerves."

Her smile grew even wider.

After the last raspberry had been eaten and Alex's small pouch of water had already been drained, Levi stood up and cleaned the dirt from his pants, tapping his knees.

"Ready to get going?"

"Anytime, Captain," she replied, stowing her deflated satchel inside her jacket.

The sounds of crumpled grasses under the sturdy boots and chirping crickets kept them company as they jogged across the savanna in hurry; knee-length grasses brushed their feet.

"You may talk, if you want to," said Levi after what seemed like two hours of jogging.

"Talk about what, sir?"

"Whatever you want. It's already passed midnight. Titans won't after us."

Alex looked around, searching for something that might caught her interest. "Grasses everywhere, not very interesting, I suppose," she said disappointedly. "Oh! Daisies!" she exclaimed happily when she noticed small white flowers among grasses, hurriedly striding off course.

"I said talk, not roam around!" Levi berated. "Keep jogging, brat!"

"Just a moment, Captain!" she said carelessly while bending over to the ground, hands clutching stalks of daisy.

"We don't have much time! Get your ass over here!" Levi roared angrily, making Alex jerked and dashed to him. "And stop picking everything you see!"

"But, Captain, they are so beautiful! How can I not pick them?" she argued, showing the flowers to his face.

In the next milliseconds, she swiftly slipped the flowers inside her jacket pocket because Levi's furrow already melded into its most dangerous shape, signifying he's really pissed off.

"I'm sorry, sir," she muttered.

"Did you even hear what I just said? Did any of my orders ever cut through that thick skull of yours?" said Levi crossly through gritted teeth.

"I'm really sorry…" she repeated penitently.

"Stupid brat," Levi hissed. "Talk about something you can't touch or pick."

Alex pouted. She looked around again, finding nothing, then shifted her eyes to the sky. "No clouds. Everything is so clear… Beautiful, isn't it, Captain?"

Levi tilted his head up, looking at the sea of gleaming stars.

"Not bad at all…" he said.

The view felt very familiar for him… This scenery, the first and the last time he ever enjoyed scenery like this, were with them, the night he entered the Survey Corps. He never realized it before, how different the world on the surface.

Beside him, Alex gazed absentmindedly to the sky; her eyes were trailing the stars one by one as though she was counting how many stars up there.

"That's Lyra," she said dreamily.

Levi snapped out of his reverie, glancing to Alex. "Lyra?"

"The name of the star constellations. Lyra," Alex elucidated, her index finger pointing up high. "Do you see that, Captain? The bright star with white-blue color? It's Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky. Part of Lyra."

"You know the name of hell only knows how many stars up there but didn't have any clue about titans. How convenient," said Levi with obvious sarcasm in his voice.

"The stars have a special alignment in the sky, Captain. You can draw a line from one to the others, like connecting the dots with straight lines, and they will form constellations. Every constellations have names," Alex continued on and on, completely didn't aware that Levi just teased her.

She kept jabbering rapidly and continuously, seemed like she didn't need to pause to catch her breath. She mentioned many strange names that sounded like hexes to Levi's ears. He tried to follow her intricate and abstruse babbles, but he lost his concentration after she talked at length about how Orion could only be seen during winter, probably indicating the position of the Walls were somewhere at the northern part of earth.

"How did you know all of these?" Levi cut in curiously, after she prattled something about summer solstice and its correlation with earth axial tilt, which he didn't understand even a single word.

"I read books about it, a long time ago," she said in her dreamiest voice as if she was reminiscing the best day of her life. "I used to read many books, because I didn't have anything to do all day, that was when I still lived with — AAAARGH!"

She vanished from sight with a muffled thud. Levi had to search between the high grasses, only to find her lying flat on her stomach on the ground.

"The hell are you doing!?" said Levi, scowling at her.

"It's — It's rabbit hole!" she grimaced, looking up to Levi. "I didn't see it…"

"Tch!" Mumbling exasperatedly, Levi grabbed her scruff to help the helpless girl pulled her left thigh from the round big hole. She sat down with strained expression.

"Ouch! I think I sprained my ankle…" she moaned in pain, tugging off her leather boot.

Levi squatted beside her, seeing her left ankle was already reddened. "Can you walk?" he asked, somewhat concerned.

"I think I can," she said reassuringly, flexing her ankle and wincing. "It's not too severe, but I need to bandage it."

"I'm confused about you," said Levi as he watched her wrapping the green fabric around her ankle (the cloak now perfectly hung around her waist level).

"Umm… Why?"

"You killed four titans singlehandedly without a scratch, yet you foolishly tripped because you didn't see a freaking wide hole on the ground. They said there's a very thin line between genius and moron, you clearly stand on the border."

"Is that a compliment or sarcasm?" asked Alex too innocently.

"Both," he said simply. "Stop getting yourself hurt."

"I'm not doing this intentionally, sir, I'm too focused with the stars," she defended herself, she'd done with tending her ankle and put on her boot again.

"Then stop gazing to the sky before you break your leg. Your recklessness will get you killed someday."

Alex nodded obediently, carefully jogged beside Levi and didn't dare to look around or say anything—probably didn't want to provoke the irascible man any further. Half an hour later, she seemed very bored and couldn't resist to open her choosey mouth.

"So, Captain, how long have you been in Survey Corps?" she asked out of the blue.

"One year."

"You are from 98th Trainee Squad?"

"I didn't go to boot camp."

Alex rolled her eyes to him. "Then how could you enroll in military?"

"Erwin invited me. I agreed."

"Hmm… Is there any reasons why do you trust Squad Leader Erwin so much?"

Levi slowed his pace, turning to her with prominent scowl. "Mind your own business, nosy brat."

"Sorry, sir, but I'm just curious. For someone who is very cautious to everything, you seemed so faithful to Squad Leader Erwin," she concluded plainly. "Meaning, he is —"

Levi let out an irritated "Tch." and Alex reflexively closed her mouth.

The rest of the journey was like a self-evaluation to gauge their stamina and endurance. As they ran across the grassland and eventually reached the foot of the hill, they didn't have energy left to talk. Climbing up the hill was an arduous challenge. Their breaths were getting shallow with each step forward. Levi had to drag Alex by her hand because she kept stumbling over her own foot, looking very troubled just to keep her steady balance.

For nearly one agonizing hour of tramping the steep and grassy path, they finally reached the top. The moment when they saw the entrance of the building felt like all the strenuous hard works had been paid off with a reward of a lifetime. It was a tremendously vast castle, with empty moat surrounded the whole area. Many wagons of Survey Corps stationed on the front yard and horses being tethered to the fences. The gatehouse was extraordinarily very big, seemed like it was being designed for gigantic people. Towers and turrets rose high from the tops as if they could puncture the sky, and as Levi had seen from the forest, some of the windows were lit with weak lights.

"Yes!" Alex gasped. "Yes! Captain! We made it!"

"God fucking damn it," Levi panted.

They automatically ejected their gears; the steel equipment clinked haphazardly and scattered near their feet. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, both of them collapsed on the ground, lying down side by side on the grass for full five minutes. Feeling the sweat had plastered his fringe to his face, Levi swiped his sodden hair out of his forehead. He tilted his head to Alex, who was giggling loosely beside him.

"Captain," she said between her laughter, "we really made it!"

"Yeah, good work rookie," Levi complimented.

"I still couldn't believe it." She smiled beatifically at him. "You're saved…"

"We are saved," Levi corrected.

Picking up their gears, they got up and staggered to the gatehouse, passing through the wagons. Levi noticed the number of carts were fewer than before the expedition started.

"Oh! That's my horse!" Alex croaked gladly, running to the fence and hugging a light brown stallion.

"Brat," Levi snorted, watching his troublesome subordinate chuckling when the horse licked her face.

He continued to totter pass the gatehouse, opening the main wooden door. It swung open with creak sound echoing in the main hall.

"Who's there!?" an alert voice screeched from the corridor along with hasty scuffling.

"Never thought I would be so damn grateful to see your face again, shitty glasses," Levi said earnestly to Hange, who was freezing when he saw him.

"LEVI! MY GOD! YOU ARE STILL ALIVE!" Hange squealed in mixed expression of pure gratefulness and petrifaction as if she's staring at ghost. She clutched Levi's face with both hands, squeezing his cheeks. "YOU ARE ALIVE!"

"I fucking am alive," said Levi feverishly, too exhausted to slap her hands. "Stop shrieking four eyes. Get your hands off me."

"My God! How could you reach this hill!?"

"Long story. Where is Nanaba?"

"This way," Hange beckoned.

Levi followed her to a room on the second floor. Inside, Mike and Nanaba were sitting around the table, and their eyes almost popped out of its sockets when they saw Hange walked in with Levi.

"Levi is back from hell!" Hange announced jovially.

"Goodness!" Nanaba exclaimed, rubbing her eyes then slapping Mike's back. "You are right! He's really here!"

"I thought my nose was fooling me," said Mike, thunderstruck, "I smelled your scent from few hours ago, I kept wondering maybe your ghost was coming here."

"Your nose is really creepy," said Levi to Mike.

"Levi, are you injured?" asked Nanaba. "You look like you're in pain."

"Dislocated shoulder," he grimaced, sitting beside Nanaba.

"Let me take a look." She helped him took of his uniform and gear straps. "Mike, please get me the first aid kit."

Mike nodded and walked to corner; searching inside the stacked crates of supplies, finally finding a small white box and giving it to Nanaba.

"Seriously, Levi, how could you are still alive?" Hange inquired curiously, sitting opposite to him. "People said you fell to the gorge!"

"I fell. Alex jumped to save me. We climbed the cliff, passed the forest. And ran to here," he explained concisely. "I'm skipping a lot of unnecessary details."

"She jumped from the cliff to save you?" Mike repeated unbelievingly. "She must be crazy."

"I think she is," said Levi earnestly.

Nanaba blinked in surprise when she looked at his shoulder. "Who treated your injury?"

"Alex. Why?"

"This is very well done. She put your shoulder back and bandaged it properly to restrict the joint motion. She has some basic in medic, I guess," said Nanaba, sounded mildly impressed. "I will change the bandage. You must not fight with this kind of injury."

"What the hell are you saying?" said Levi, frowning at her.

"You have to rest your arm with a sling, and don't you dare use 3DM Gear until this healed completely," Nanaba warned firmly. "I bet you can't even lift your arm with a swollen shoulder like this."

"Tch, Alex said the same thing," Levi mumbled. "What happened with the mission?"

Mike sat beside Hange and explained the full detail of their secret operation and the result of the expedition. Levi concluded it wasn't a very victorious result, not what Erwin had planned in his mind, at least. Thinking how many casualties and damages they suffered, Levi suddenly realized that Alex was right to think that the Legion must have been retreating to Dieburg Fortress.

"Why didn't we retreat?" said Levi, after Mike finished his very long explanation.

"Commander did issue the order to retreat, but he quickly dropped it," said Mike.

"Why did he change his mind?"

"Erwin did all the talking to Keith," said Hange. "Gave a very moving speech about 'the price of the deaths' and 'humanity's future is at stake', something like that, really heart-touching, it's almost brought me to tears."

"I knew it," said Levi triumphantly. "Giving up on the very last moment is not his thing."

"He was really distraught, I could tell," said Mike.

"Why?"

"Moses is dead," said Nanaba softly, still busy bandaging his shoulder.

"Oh," was Levi's only reaction.

"How can you know he's upset?" said Nanaba to Mike. "He never lose his composure, even when he was clutching his…arm, he's still very calm."

"He smelled like a depressed person," said Mike simply.

Levi's eyebrow slightly lifted. "You can smell things like that?"

"You would be more surprised if you knew all the things my nose can do."

"Erwin has a magnificent coping mechanism like no other humans can do, but I'm sure he must feel really bad about himself," said Hange bleakly, looking at Mike. "I mean, Moses was his best friend from academy, right? I heard they were very close with each other."

"Never saw one without the other, since their cadet year," said Mike sadly. "You'd have thought they were brothers. Inseparable."

"That news to me, that a guy like him could act like human being and have friend," said Levi, somewhat interested. "Tell me more about it."

"It was my second year in Survey Corps when Erwin joined —"

But how could someone like Erwin Smith befriended another human being, Levi never found out. The talk about Erwin's friendship was interrupted when the person being discussed entered the room. Mike abruptly stopped talking and whistled awkwardly, Hange rolled her eyes to the ceiling and acted like she was watching something very interesting up there, and Nanaba quickly focused all her attention to Levi, treating his shoulder with her utmost seriousness as though he was on the verge of his life.

"I'm glad you are still alive, Levi," said Erwin, with his usual composed face it's very hard to tell if he's really glad.

Levi scoffed. "Your face doesn't look glad at all."

"Okay, it's done," said Nanaba, tying the end of the bandage. "You can wear your clothes, then I will make a sling."

"How did you survive?" said Erwin, sitting beside Hange.

"You asked me to babysit her, turned out she's the one who saved my ass," said Levi plainly, tucking his left arm into his shirtsleeve.

"Where is she now?" said Hange.

"Smooching her horse near the fence," Levi replied then turned to Nanaba. "She got sprained ankle."

"I'll go check on her," said Nanaba, getting up and walking out of the room.

"To go against order to retreat," said Levi. "After all of the mess, you don't even consider the lives of the soldiers are in jeopardy. The troops are already on their limit."

"Not until we do everything in our power to make a progress in the very least," said Erwin.

"I don't think this operation is successful," said Levi bluntly while buttoning his shirt.

"Yes, it's a pyrrhic result," Erwin admitted. "At least we make another step forward, even just in the slightest. It's a good thing that our supplies for this castle were not damaged."

"It's not justifying the loss," said Levi with harsher tone.

"Yes, but we can't retreat when we've reached this far," said Erwin calmly. "And think about what will happen to you and Alex if we do retreat."

The door opened again and Nanaba entered the room with Alex.

"You walked all the way with sprained ankle?" said Nanaba concernedly. "Are you really okay?"

"My ankle is okay, Miss, but I got grazes — Oh! Squad Leader! Squad Leader!" Alex piped fervently when she saw Hange, rushing to her. "Ma'am! You won't believe what I saw in the forest!"

"Whoa! Easy Alex, take a breath first," said Hange, seemed very puzzled to see her so animated.

"Fix her," Levi demanded, glaring at Hange.

"What happened to her?" asked Hange.

"You fucked up her head," spat Levi. "She already obsessed with titans just like you."

"I see them! Titans — so many — sleeping — not breathing!" Alex spoke breathlessly, her eyes popping excitedly like a preschooler who just went to Disneyland. "Oh! They can move at night!"

"THEY WHAT!?" Hange choked out, very aghast, almost toppling backward off her chair. "They moved at night!? You're not bullshitting with me, right!?"

"It's true! Captain Levi saw them too!" said Alex, turning to Levi for support. "They ran after us, right, Captain?"

"Almost hopped on our head and killed us," Levi added acerbically.

Hange's mouth opened so widely like a very big 'O'. "Levi, you really saw those majestic creatures up and close too!? Why didn't you tell me earlier!?" she said with frustration.

"I said I skipped the details."

"Damn it, Levi! How could you skip the most important thing in the world!?" Hange bellowed.

"The same goes to you, shit glasses," said Levi gruffly. "For all the shits you had babbled about titans you never mentioned something crucial like that."

"I didn't even know it was possible!" Hange protested, staring enviously back and forth to Alex and Levi as if she was very dejected because they had left her for an exciting holiday. "Oh God! You two have to narrate me about it!"

"No," Levi refused in flash.

Hange shifted her sparkling eyes to Alex. As expected, the petite girl inhaled deeply before she sat beside Hange and started to jabber everything from the Deviants that chased her and Levi to the swarm of sleeping titans.

"They are really best friend," Nanaba commented.

"Definitely," Mike agreed.

"It's good for Hange," said Erwin.

Few minutes after that, Keith entered the room, followed by some Team Leaders.

"Glad to see both of you are still alive," said Keith, looking at Levi and Alex, which Levi replied with a nod, but Alex was too busy conversing with Hange.

"Hange, we have to make retreat plan. Now," said Erwin.

"Okay, Erwin," said Hange, looked disappointed by the interruption. "Alex, I promise I will buy you dinner for a week and you better tell me every little detail about every little thing you witnessed in the forest. You got it, girl?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Alex saluted enthusiastically.

Hange gave her usual terrifying maniacal grin to Alex before sat straight on her chair, her persona changed into more serious look. The other soldiers took seat around the table, and Keith formally opened the meeting. Alex dragged one chair to the corner of the room, tending grazes on her palms and hands.

"I hope this meeting could finish quickly," Keith began, "we only have three hours before commencing retreat operation. I suppose your calculation to move at dawn is accurate, Hange."

"Yes, Commander," said Hange. "Moving at dawn is our best option. We can take advantage to sneak around them before they become more active."

"Then, our next problem is what kind of operation we must conduct." Keith glanced around and focused his eyes to Erwin.

"We can use the distraction tactic to assist the main troops, just like what we did yesterday," said Erwin. "Decoy teams will lure titans away and fight them, while the main troops flee."

"But Erwin, our Legion doesn't have enough manpower for that," Nanaba interrupted. "Most of our soldiers can't even utilize 3DM Gear properly."

"We can't divide our combat strength," Keith interjected. "If we assign soldiers for decoy teams, there will be no enough soldiers to defend the main troops."

"Erwin, we use the southwest path, I think it will be safe enough even without bait," said one of team leader. "Eastern part is the most dangerous one and we will move at dawn. They won't after us."

"Sacrifices have to be made," said Erwin courteously. "This point may now seem obvious and clichéd. But there's no gambles without risks. We can't guarantee the titans will not break our formation this time."

"At this point, it's not sacrifices anymore," said the other team leader with sharp voice. "If things go wrong, Survey Corps will be history.

"Don't bother quarrel about it. Both options are useless because the circumstances in the forest are already out of order," a dreamy voice chimed in airily.

The room fell in perplexed silence as all the heads turned to the corner. The petite girl still wiped her palms with cotton and iodine, seemed like she didn't realize she just made a statement to make a peace on the table, or rather, she didn't even aware that she just said something loud enough to be heard by the others.

"Alex, what do you mean?" said Erwin.

She tore her gaze from her palms, looked at Erwin and she almost fell from her chair in fear when she found out that everyone was looking at her with dead serious face. "I'm s-s-sorry, sir! I d-d-d-didn't mean to interrupt! It's just my opinion, you d-don't have to listen to me… I'm sorry… I will just…s-sit silently here," she stammered in pitch voice, shrinking on her chair.

"Both are impossible to be done," said Levi, looking at Alex, finally getting what she was talking about. "Because the western part of the forest is becoming titans camp right now. We saw them sleeping there." He turned to Erwin. "Fighting will be impossible because there are a hell too many of them."

"Yes, Captain… That's what I'm thinking…" she squeaked in agreement, still shrinking on her chair.

"Deviants tend to migrate to places with high human concentration. Maybe they intend to reach this hill, but nighttime save our lives this time," Hange speculated quickly, rubbing her chin. "We can't lure them away if they spot our main troops."

"Then, the next thing possible to be done is to make sure our main troops don't make a contact with them," said Erwin thoroughly, interlocking his fingers. "Maybe we can attract them to the gorge, and push them to fall to the river below."

"Erwin, I never try diversion experiment," Hange reminded. "I know you love to gamble, but the chances are —"

"Diversion trick worked, Squad Leader," said Alex feebly.

"REALLY!?" Hange choked again, her spectacles dropped few centimeters from her nose bridge when she vigorously turned her head to Alex.

"Yes, when we were being chased by Deviants, we outsmarted them using distraction," Levi confirmed. "They are not as intelligent as you think."

"Mother of Science… I really envy both of you with all of my heart," said Hange sulkily, staring with hurtful look to Levi and Alex.

"Commander, I have an idea," said Erwin immediately, spreading out the map on the table. "We can use the decoy teams to act as bait. They will engage with the titans and lure them toward the gorge. Two additional squads will lead the horses and wait for them once they finish the operation in the rendezvous point near the end of the forest." He marked the spot with big black dot. "Meanwhile, the rest of our brigade will advance straight to the north, instead of using the southwest route, this path will take less time," he explicated, drawing a straight line from the hill to the forest. "We will wait for the decoy teams to regroup near the northern entrance of the forest."

"Sounds like a great idea," Mike commented, nodding his head.

"For early precaution," Hange butt in, "even if the diversion worked, maybe the decoy teams should head out first, then give a signal once the situation is safe enough for us to advance."

"Good point, Hange," said Erwin approvingly. "The decoy squads will commence the operation one hour earlier."

"Erwin, I'm trusting the decoy teams personnel to you," said Keith. "I believe you can give briefing about this retreat operation to them."

"Yes, sir," said Erwin then glanced around. "I want every soldier who is not out of commission to assemble in storeroom."

"We will commence retreat operation in three hours. Everyone, get ready to commence the mission," Keith ordered. "That's all. The meeting is dismissed."

The soldiers got up from their chairs and hurriedly went out of the room, including Alex. Levi was about to follow Erwin to the storeroom when Nanaba stood in front of him, blocking his way.

"The sling," she reminded with rigid expression, hands holding a piece of white, triangle fabric.

"Tch."

Levi sat back on the chair reluctantly and Nanaba started to wrap the fabric around his arm and over his shoulder. Both of them were the only people left in the room.

"Levi, about your squad…" Nanaba began.

"What about them?" Levi asked with formality, because he already had premonition in his head about what happened to them.

"I'm so sorry, most of the left flank didn't make it," said Nanaba grimly. "Michael and Rudolf were KIA."

"And the others?" he asked with a voice that slightly louder than a whisper.

"Josef got broken arm. Flora is not badly injured but she's not in very good condition."

"I see."

Ten minutes later, Levi muttered thank you when she finished and marched to the storeroom in the first floor, but the briefing about the retreat plan was already over because the room was empty. Alex was sitting on the crate at the corner, eating her too early breakfast, already replenishing her blades and gas. She handed over the provisions to him. Levi sat beside her and both of them gobbled the unappetizing meal with unsatisfied hunger.

"The berries were so much better compare to this," Alex commented wryly. "This tastes like yeast."

"Picking the berries almost cost us our lives. I'll stick with this," said Levi, biting a large portion of his provisions.

Despite the indescribable taste and smell, both of them finished their food until the last crumb.

"You trusted the right person, Captain."

"Hell yeah I did. Although, you were right about the retreat plan, if it's not because of Erwin whined like a baby to Commander for continuing the expedition."

"In other words, trusting you turn out to be a right to do."

"You don't have to trust me," said Levi in strained voice.

"I trusted you," Alex convinced him. "I chose to trust your trust in your comrade, or in this case, Squad Leader Erwin. That's why I agreed to go with you."

Levi stopped chewing and looked at her. "You trusted me because I trusted Erwin?"

"I don't even know these people, I don't know whether they could be trusted or not" Alex admitted blatantly. "I don't know what happened between you and Squad Leader Erwin — I'm curious to find out though — but someone so stubborn like you willing to put all of your faith in him, meaning he is a very trustworthy person to you. That level of trust is simply amazing, you even obeyed to do an order you didn't like. So, I guessed trusting him was worth to be tried."

Levi lost words to respond. Before he could ask how on earth she concluded those theories, the storeroom door opened with a sickening bang and two soldiers rushed inside.

"Captain Levi!" Flora screamed, looking very relieved with Josef following behind her. "Oh! Alex! You're saved too!" she smiled and hugged her.

"Are you both okay?" asked Levi with a faint concerned tone. He eyed Flora; no physical injuries but her swollen eyes told that she'd been crying all the time. Josef had a sling like him on the right arm, but his bandage was covered in red.

"We're okay," said Flora, looking like she was about to cry again.

"Captain, thank you for saving my life," said Josef shortly. "But after you fell, the situation was really chaotic. The titans outflanked us from every direction, and, and… Michael took the command, but…"

"We succeeded to defend the wagons," Flora continued. "But Michael and Rudolf were killed…"

It felt like there was a hot iron fist had clenched suddenly around Levi's windpipe. "Do we have their bodies?" he asked huskily.

"Yes…" Josef mumbled.

"Good then," said Levi with the same husky voice. "Pull yourself together. We still have mission."

Both of them saluted, picked up the spare equipments from a crate and left the room. Levi realized that Alex was staring at him with bewilderment on her face; her hazel eyes fixated intently on him without a blink.

"What are you looking at?" said Levi.

"No. Nothing," she said levelly, shaking her head. "I gotta be prepared for the operation. I'll help the decoy team to lure the titans to the gorge."

"You stay with the main troops. I'll replace you in decoy team," Levi ordered in haste.

"Miss Nanaba may not like that idea," Alex reminded, looking at his left shoulder. "Your shoulder already swollen from the fight in the forest. You can't even swing the blade with an arm like that."

"You underestimate my power," said Levi, feeling scandalized.

"It's a direct order from Squad Leader Erwin. He told me to reinforce decoy teams under Squad Leader Mike, he didn't mention your name at all."

"Erwin's order, huh? I see…" Levi murmured uneasily.

"You will trust him no matter what, right?" said Alex slightingly. "I can fight, Captain. You don't have to keep an eye on me all the time." She stood up and walked to the door.

"Alex," Levi called to her, walking to her and seizing her hand.

She turned to Levi, blinking confusedly. He was staring deeply at her with a very agitated look, his hand still holding her hand strongly.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Don't die on your first expedition," he said in gentle tone of voice that sounded like a wholehearted implore.

She smiled guessingly. "Because you're ordered to keep me alive? If I'm dead you fail your mission, right?"

"Hell no," Levi denied briskly. "I'm not even thinking about it. Just… Come back quickly. As fast as you can. That's an order."

"I'll try my best to come back," she said weakly, squeezing Levi's hand softly before he let go of her hand. "Don't worry about me, Captain. I'll be just fine. And if I die, you won't find anyone asking for my corpse when you get back."

"What about your parents?"

"I don't have family," she answered promptly in uncomfortable tone hinting she didn't want to discuss the subject any further.

"That makes a lot of sense," said Levi, his eyes slightly widening. "You wouldn't be wandering alone in forest if you still had parents."

"I gotta go," said Alex cuttingly, turning her head away from him. "Excuse me, sir."

Levi nodded and watched her back as she opened the door and vanished into the darkness in the corridor. An uneasy foreboding seeped into his mind. The feeling of his guts twisting in knots told him that he had a terribly bad hunch about this operation outcome.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

**-Four hours later-**

"Twenty Deviants are following us!" Lynne shrieked shrilly.

Mike Squad were flying wildly between the trees and branches, moving in lightning speed while Deviants were running after them.

"Squad Leader! Should we kill them!?" Henning yelled.

"No! We have to lure them first!" shouted Mike. "The gorge is ahead of us!"

The sounds of streaming river were telling them that they already reached the end of the land. Alex turned back, narrowly avoiding a whooshing giant palm. She flung straight to the bunch of Deviants to attract their attention.

"Come on! Follow me!"

Swirling around their heads, Alex swung away, and all the monstrous eyes were tailing her. She pressed the knob on her handgrip to release considerable amount of gas, propelling herself to the narrow gorge. But instead of falling down, she shot her hooks toward the other side of the cliff before she hit the river.

"Woah! That's very clever!" Gelgar exclaimed.

Hanging steadily on the opposite side of the gorge, Alex watched carefully; some Deviants were foolish enough to follow her and plunge to the river, being carried away by the current. But some were still standing at the brink of the cliffs and trying to attack the rest of decoy teams.

"Disperse at once! We will kill them all here!" Mike commanded.

Alex was shooting her hooks back to the direction of the soldiers, swinging across the river, when the unforeseen disaster happened

It sounded like the land below them crumbled to pieces because of an earthquake and sunk into the core of earth. The steep cliff cracked with lines. Large portion of rocks and sediment layer of soil suddenly fell apart, toppling off the cliff.

"ALL UNITS! PULL BACK!" Mike bellowed.

They flew backward to the safer ground to save themselves from the sudden collapse. It was happening in a blink of an eye. Deviants, trees, large pieces of rocks, loose sediment were avalanching violently and out of control. The solid rocks detached from the soil, bouncing and flying along ballistic trajectories and rolling on debris slopes, falling freely. The large pieces of rocks tumbled downhill, loosening other rocks on their way and smashing everything in their path, colliding with each other and breaking into smaller pieces. Deviants at the bottom of the gorge were crushed by them.

Alex desperately released her hooks from the steep just in time, rapidly firing her anchors back to the opposite cliff, trying to get outside the range of trajectory. She was evading for dear life when rocks hurling at her direction, almost squashing her petite body.

"ALEX!" Nanaba cried.

The rumbling noises eventually calmed down when the last part of rockfall bounced down and broke with blaring thud. It was inarguably a massive scale of landslide. The debris of rock, trees and soil was blocking the river and the cliff was gone, being replaced by long incline to the bottom of the gorge.

"Squad Leader Mike!" cried Alex's pitch voice.

Mike fired his hooks to a tree on the edge and stood on the highest branch. "Alex! Are you okay!?" Mike yelled, looking down to the gorge.

"I'm okay!" Alex screamed from among the rubbles at the end of the slope.

"Hang on! We will save you!" Nanaba shouted.

"No! Don't!" she yelled. "Don't go down here!"

The titans were trapped beneath heavier and bigger concrete rocks. They already regenerated and sprouted the limbs, thick fog steaming to the air. It was a matter of time before they broke free and started to rampage again.

"Sir! You have to go!" Alex shouted. "You have to lure more titans! You have to go! Now!"

"We can't leave you here!" Mike barked.

"It's okay! I will kill these titans then regroup with you! Or they will climb up and go after the main troops if we leave them just like this!"

"What are you talking about!? You could die here!"

Alex slipped her blades inside the scabbard then saluted. "Sir! I'm a soldier! I had taken an oath to fulfill my duty even if it would cost my life! I took an oath to offer up my heart for humanity!"

"But —!"

"Leave, sir! We can't let retreat mission to be failed!"

Few seconds passed until Mike replied her salute wholeheartedly then gestured the rest of his squad to move. Soon, Alex was left alone at the bottom of the slope, still standing solidly with her right fist over her heart, with titans grunting noisily around her as they attempting to break free from the wreckage.

Then, Alex slipped muffled chuckles. Couldn't restraint herself any longer, her soft voice entirely changed into mad guffawing. Bending forward and clutching her stomach, she laughed, bark of mirthless laughter that sounded so twisted and sinister echoing in the narrow gorge. She inhaled breathlessly as though she just finished a marathon race, slumping on the rocky debris, tears accumulating in the corner of her eyes.

"Offer up my heart for humanity, huh? What a disgusting thought," she scoffed amusedly. Her face contorted into nauseous wince as if she had just watched someone puked in front of her. "Now that's the biggest lie I ever came up with…"

She got back on her feet, staring dully at the bunch of titans near her; her blades were wielded at her sides, ready to slaughter the monsters.

"Now, what should I do to all of you?"

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

**-Few hours later-**

"Commander! There's a signal from decoy teams!" said a soldier.

The main troops of Survey Corps were already out of the forest, took a break at the designated point, completely unharmed and safe, thanks to the work of the decoy teams, they could pass the forest without encountering a single titan. Levi squinted his eyes and saw a yellow flare soared to the clear noon sky. A quarter of an hour after that, swarm of soldiers emerged from the forest and regrouped with the main troops. Alarmed, Levi made his way through the soldiers and looked around, but couldn't find the striking dark auburn hair everywhere.

"Mike, where is she?" said Levi urgently as the tall man dismounted from his horse.

Realizing who he was looking for, Mike sparred a very troubled look before answer his question. "She fell to the gorge."

Levi felt his heart banging against his ribs. "What the hell!?"

"It's landslide," said Nanaba, her voice shaking. "The cliff crumbled when all the titans gathered near the edge, very disastrous. She was getting caught up in the fall."

"And you left her just like that!?" said Levi disbelievingly, glaring at Mike.

"We had no choice," said Mike uncomfortably. "She volunteered to kill all the titans. We had to continue the diversion tactic if we wanted retreat operation to succeed, but she was still alive when we left her."

"Good work, Mike," said Erwin. "Commander, we can continue our retreat operation."

"What about Alex?" said Levi stiffly.

"We're not sure whether she will make it back or not," Erwin elucidated. "We can't risk the whole Legion for that."

"She'll be back," said Levi obstinately to Erwin. "I trust her. We have to wait for her."

"We don't have much time, Levi. Going back alive to the wall is our priority," Erwin insisted matter-of-factly. "We have to move now."

Levi turned to Keith and stared at him with his most hardcore glare.

"I agree with Erwin," said Keith, seemed not perturbed by Levi's stare. "We'll wait until all the preparation complete. If she don't make it back in that period of time, we'll carry on with the retreat plan."

"Fine then," said Levi through his rigid jaw.

"Ten minutes left before resuming our operation!" Keith commanded and walked away with Erwin.

Levi stood unnaturally still on perimeter and fixed his eyes to the forest like a hawk targeting its prey. His palms were sweaty, hands trembling, the time passed by and there was still no sign of anyone came out. Without further thinking, Levi took off the sling on his left arm and dashed to supplies wagon. Glancing cautiously to his surrounding, he took a small crate from the wagons; it filled with gas cylinders and spare blades. Levi carefully hid it beneath the nearest bushes so no one will notice it. He looked around, finally picking some stalks of daisies from the grass.

"All man! On your position! We'll now continue our retreat plan!" Keith commanded.

"I know you'll see this," said Levi hopefully, arranging the daisies around the roots of the bushes. "In case you come back, brat."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

The big bell chimed, swinging back and forth, ringing through the entire District of Shiganshina in a restful afternoon. The citizens knew what the bell meant: the Survey Corps were back from their expedition. As the curiosity of the citizens aroused, many people already gathered along the main road from the gate, waiting for the parade of soldiers to pass by. Heroes of humanity, they said. Brave soldiers that will liberate human race, they said. The hope of mankind, they said.

Every each one of people in town knew that those myths were not true.

The gate lifted up and the long awaited heroes finally came into sight one by one. There were no cheering or praises that came from the bystanders. All of them watched in profound silent, most of them spared pity stares, some started to talk nastily about their failure. It's always like this, every time Survey Corps got back, dissatisfactions and disillusionments greeted them mercilessly.

A glory of the defeated had descended upon them in this afternoon.

Downhearted, badly injured, physically damaged and morally devastated, the survivals of 29th Expedition beyond the wall entered the district with the tangible aura of despair. The looks in their eyes were like the life was sucked out of them, so void and died out. They staggered along the main street with soulless expressions, like walking corpses, as if they just came back from witnessing the horror of the deepest layer of hell.

"Why are there so few of them?"

"The rest of them got eaten."

"They look absolutely awful."

"Aren't they just getting more people killed while running away from titans?"

"It's another disaster, all over again."

Those derogatory remarks hit Erwin's ears like a rain of arrows. He glanced around, scanning the crestfallen and scornful expression in all the faces then his eyes caught something extremely different. A boy with green eyes stood tall at the far back of bystanders. He was staring at Erwin with a face full of joy and awe, smiling beamishly. Erwin was stunned; the way the little boy looked at him was something he never expected. His bright eyes gleamed in absolute admiration, as though he was staring at the hero he always adored.

Erwin swiftly averted his eyes, gazing at his hands to his rein. A sharp knife of irony sliced his chest, stabbing straight to his broken and contrite heart.

He didn't deserve that kind of praise. Not even in the slightest.

He was a murderer, not some kind of hero.

"That is what you get for going outside the Walls."

"What a shame. Our taxes were wasted just like that."

"So all we've been doing is offering our money to them as free lunch."

"We shouldn't have entrusted our future to these lot."

"Moses! Moses!" an old woman screamed, rushing to the parade. She looked around then approached Keith. "Commander Keith, where is my son!? I can't find him anywhere! Oh please! Tell me he made it!" she said pleadingly.

"I wish I had a better news for you," said Keith, glancing to a soldier beside him. "Give it to her."

The soldier nodded and took a small bundle stained with blood from the cart, handing it over to the old woman. Utterly frightened, she quickly unwrapped the gray cloth with trembling hand.

"I'm sorry. This is all that left of him, the biggest remnant we could retrieve," said Keith remorsefully.

The old woman gasped when she stared at a decayed human arm, her son's arm. She fell on her knees and broke into a storm of crying, clutching the bloody arm to her chest.

"But… But my son, he is…" she moaned, gazing at Keith. "Everyone keeps saying that soldiers who died venturing outside the Walls… They all died for nothing… Is that true!? Commander Keith!?"

Keith squatted in front of her, mouth sealed, looking like he didn't know how to respond to such question.

"He's been useful to humanity, right? He might not have been a hero, but he was so brave. He always told me how proud he was to join Survey Corps, even became a Squad Leader…"

The whole crowd suddenly stopped muttering as if someone had turned off the sound, listening attentively to the old woman.

"At least he died helping mankind to fight back, right!? He sacrificed himself for the benefit of all of us, right!?"

Keith was looked like someone just gave him a hard blow on his stomach. He stared at her with a dazed look, his mouth parted but nothing came out.

"Say something!" she cried out. "Tell me! Tell me his death means something!"

"He was brave!" Keith croaked, but when he spoke again, his voice was shaky and barely audible. "But… His sacrifices meant nothing, and so with all of our loses… During this mission, we… No, even after all of our missions…"

A tense silence blew all over the nooks and crannies. All eyes were on the distressed Commander.

"WE STILL HAVEN'T MADE A SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS!" Keith bellowed, tears flowing from his haggard eyes. "IT WAS MY FAULT! I AM A FAILURE! I'VE JUST GOTTEN SOLDIERS KILLED RIGHT AND LEFT FOR NOTHING! YOUR SON IS DEAD BECAUSE OF ME! HE DIED FOR NOTHING BECAUSE OF ME!"

Erwin watched the heartrending moment with a pained expression, as though he'd been hit in the face. There was a crazy urge engulfing his body, a strange force that commanded him to dismount from his horse at once and kneel before the poor sobbing old woman. A voice inside his skull told him to confess for his sins and beg for her mercy upon his unrighteous soul.

_No. Your son died because of me. I killed him._

Keith already stood back on his feet, staggering forward with one soldier helping him to calm down. Moses' mother was being dragged by some people to the roadside, seemed like she's already fainted.

Ignoring the guilt that snagging him to pieces, Erwin held the rein steadily. All he can do was spurring his horse without saying a word and fixing his blank stare to the ground.

The murmurs and mumbles of disdainful chatters from the citizens were rumbling persistently until they were out of the district.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

There was a ritual that Levi loathed more than anything at the end of expedition. The corpses were stacked inside the square pyre on the main yard of Heubach Castle, arranged neatly and piled up against each other. He watched with very hollow stare; the soldiers were done putting the last corpse and heading to the storeroom to bring the combustible liquid. Levi walked closer to the pyre, eyeing the dead bodies one by one. His former second-in-command soldier was on the top, and Levi could guess he died of blood loss because his abdomen was ripped off and his uniform tainted in red from chest to knees.

"You fought well, soldier," said Levi throatily, severing the badges on his chest, "rest peacefully. Your fighting is over, but mine still wages on."

He moved to the corpse of Rudolf — whose body looked awfully mangled as if a spear as big as a cartwheel pierced through his torso — quickly snatching his badge too. "I'm still fighting for your sake. I swear, as long as I live," he paused, looking at the rest of the corpses. "I will keep on fighting until every last one of them are eradicated."

He took few steps back, standing among the other soldiers, watching the fire ignited. At first, it was a moment of complete silence, as though the whole world stopped turning, but as the small flame flickered weakly, series of sobs and mourning broke loose interminably around the pyre. Tearful faces filled with sorrow were everywhere as Levi looked around. Beside him, Flora was weeping. Levi faced her, and when their eyes met, the girl looked so embarrassed.

"Captain Levi, I'm sorry…" she apologized, swiping her face with her sleeve. "It's never get any easier…"

"You don't have any reasons to get used to witness your comrades dying," said Levi quietly. "It's okay for you to cry."

Flora nodded and cried even more noisily into her hands.

"You can cry all you want," said Levi, glancing to Josef.

"No," said Josef croakily.

"Don't be ridiculous. Everybody can be sad if they have the goddamn reason to be. No one will judge you when you show weaknesses in moment like this."

"I-I-I can't, Captain… I can't bid goodbye to them like that…" he hesitated. "It's really not fair, isn't it? I'm still alive, and they're—"

"Your survival is because of their sacrifices, never forget that," Levi reminded stoutly, giving him a stony stare. "Showing your emotions is also the way to honor our comrades' existence. They mattered to you. You valued their lives and the fact that they're not here anymore hurt. So stop pretending to be the tough guy."

And with that, Josef fell on his knees, tears slipping from the corner of his eyes.

Levi walked further away from the seemingly endless outcries, leaning his back to the cracked brick wall and crossing his arms. He stared on the ground, wishing the fire quickly extinguished.

_How many times do I have to go through something like this?_

"Excuse me, Captain Levi," a voice of girl called for him.

He tilted to his left, looking vacantly at her; a girl with golden blond hair, a cadet, judging from the badge on her chest, was standing next to him. There were some cadets standing warily in the background.

"I wonder if you would mind if I ask you something…" she said with brittle voice.

"What is it?"

"The cadet in your squad, sir, Alexandra Ritter, can you tell me where she is?"

Upon hearing the name of his former subordinate, Levi felt a sudden wild twinge inside his stomach, like a sharp blade cutting his abdomen. The blond girl looked very scared to hear his answer as if she already knew what he would say.

"She didn't make it back," he finally managed to force some air out to utter the bitter news.

The girl gasped. "Don't tell me…she's…dead?" She broke down in tears.

"No fucking way!" a brown-haired cadet shouted behind her, seemed frustrated. "She's always so good in everything! I couldn't believe titan would bit her ass!"

"Kenneth, calm down!" said the boy with jet-black hair.

"How…did…see die?" the blond girl asked Levi between her snivels.

Levi gulped, but instead of saliva, there was a feeling of molten metal sliding down his throat, made it harder for him to speak. He lowered his gaze to the ground again, couldn't stand to look at her streaming eyes.

"We're not sure whether she died or not," Erwin, who just walked near them, chimed in.

The blond girl turned to Erwin, very startled. "What do you mean with that?" she asked.

Erwin spared her a commiserative look for a moment. "The last time she was seen, she fell from the cliff. We never see her died nor we find her body."

It looked like an invisible lightning struck and paralyzed her as she could only stared dumbfoundedly at Erwin.

"She is presumed Missing In Action," Erwin continued.

"But that means — she maybe alive but —" the blond girl stuttered, clamping her mouth. "She is…alone…outside the wall?"

"Yes, Sophie," Erwin confirmed. "The odds of her coming back was very slim, and we didn't have time to conduct search and rescue operation because we had to retreat back to the Walls."

"Holy shit… That means she's done for…" said Kenneth stiffly.

"Hey, Emory, do you want to bet?" said a wretched-looking cadet who already slumped on the ground, glancing to jet-black hair boy.

"Gerard, this is not the time," Emory reminded gently.

"Place your bet Emory, my bet will be…" Gerard rasped. "Alex will be just fine, somewhere outside there, and somehow… She will make it back alive."

"Be realistic, dude, that's freaking impossible," Kenneth snapped.

"That's really far-fetched," said Emory, agreeing with Kenneth.

"Just place the damn bet. Please…" Gerard begged hopelessly.

"Alright. But I'm not sure it's gonna help us with anything," Emory muttered as he pulled his arm, helping him to stand up.

Sophie wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, looking at Erwin and Levi. "Thank you, sir. Please excuse us."

They trudged back to the bonfire, and Levi vaguely heard the blond girl moaning his former subordinate's name in her cry.

"So much for dragging a rookie beyond the wall," Levi criticized bitterly, giving an ugly look to Erwin.

"But she did a great job," said Erwin. "She saved your life and made the retreat plan possible for us. We lost the finest cadet in history of military, at least, we still have you."

"Tch. You're talking like her live is disposable."

"In my calculation, a knight is more valuable than a rook."

His gray eyes widened in fury. "You are really seeing human like piece of chess, huh?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" Erwin reminded composedly. "The memories of regret will cloud your judgment. When you can no longer move on from the past and make the right decision to move forward, then all that's left for you is to die. Regrets are getting in the way, and it's easier to get rid of them if we stay focus on the bigger picture."

The two men's eyes clashed for a long moment. Erwin brilliantly kept his usual composure as he spoke while Levi miraculously did his very best endeavor to restrain his temper. His body was shaking, his hands already curling into very rigid fists, veins throbbing and engorging on his temple.

"All I'm saying is: sacrifices are necessary," said Erwin reassuringly, seemed to notice Levi's infuriation at him. "It's inevitable. Forget all the regrets, Levi. We have to move on," he added then walked pass him.

"What about Moses?" said Levi scathingly in low voice. "Three years of boot camp and many years you two spent together in this Legion, now you're telling me he's just a piece of chess for you? There is no way in hell you mourned for your pawn."

Erwin halted his step when Levi said the name, turning to him; a pensive look flashed for the tiniest space of time on his calm face.

"I must be lying if I say I'm not feeling guilty over his death. But, I'm a gambler, you can say making sacrifices is my hobby," said Erwin coolly, not a faintest trace of remorse was perceptible in his voice. "Not something I'm proud of, and definitely not something I enjoy. It's just something I must do."

Erwin's admission of guilt sounded so well prepared as though he always rehearsed it every day. Digesting the subtle signification, Levi hateful glare eventually faded away. He nodded subduedly, averting his eyes from Erwin's icy blue eyes by staring at the ground again. Erwin continued to walk to the building, leaving Levi alone.

"Something I must do…" Levi repeated under his breath.

Anyone who looked at Levi right now might well have thought that the Humanity's Strongest Soldier was one hell of tough badass soldier. He still folded his arms casually; his expression was as flat as the wall behind him; his imperturbable demeanor didn't change in the slightest — in contrast to loudly wailing soldiers — as though he was unfazed with the heartbreaking situation in front of his nose. Nobody knew, beneath his calm and collected exterior, under the indestructible aloof mask he wore on his face, the man's heart was conflicted, torn between his guilty conscience and the bitter words from the man he looked up to.

He moved his eyes to the bonfire. The dancing flame slowly incinerated the corpses, becoming bigger and bigger, engulfing the remains that were used to be his comrades and turning them to ashes. The acrid smell of burning flesh pricked his nose. The outcries and moans from the grieving soldiers gradually diminished, but the dreary sorrow still hanging tightly in the atmosphere. His gaze shifted to the bunch of cadets; the blond girl was still crying hysterically, while the others looked so desperate as though the world had ended few moments ago.

Then, he felt a sharp rose in his throat at this sight; a dreadful realization about something he detested the most was the only thing he must continue to do.

"Sacrificing human lives is something I must do," he told himself, repeating the words inside his head like an incantation, trying to carve the meaning into his brain.

He knew very well that Erwin was right; one could never make advancement without sacrificing something. A very simple logic: to obtain, something with equal or more value must be lost. Someone who couldn't sacrifice anything couldn't ever change anything. But the more he repeated the words the more they became meaningless. He couldn't comprehend the sense of each syllable anymore. The only thing he knew, the words gave him abhorrent sensation from the head to the tips of his fingers and toes, as though his whole body was protesting to bring back his moral sense. A suffocating feeling spread progressively as if the incandescent fire from the pyre had leapt into his chest and burned his inside.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Erwin knocked on the Commander's office door; he waited until he heard Keith's tired voice commanded him to enter. He opened the door and saw Keith was working on stack of papers that resembled a small mountain on his desk.

"Evening, Commander," said Erwin, giving a salute. "I'm here to hand over my squad reports."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Erwin," said Keith as Erwin put the papers on his desk. He stopped writing and dropped his quill. "Have a seat. I need to talk about something."

With a slight confusion, Erwin sat down opposite of him.

"I made a terrible mistake…" Keith muttered with desperation and contrite etched in every line of wrinkles on his tired face. "About what happened in this expedition, I should had listened to you from the very beginning, Erwin…"

Erwin stayed silent though his raging inner self wanted to shout _'yes, I already told you, didn't I?'_. He was apoplectic with rage about what had happened; his calculation was perfect. The operation should had work the way he planned if only Keith was rational enough to listen to his logical thinking and gave a permission.

Fortunately, Erwin was sensible enough to put aside his rampancy and maintain his levelheaded mind, preventing himself from ranting furiously.

He knew blaming would not bring the deaths back to life, it would not change what already happened, and it would not help to overcome the losses in this expedition.

It would not change the fact that he was the reason why his best friend got killed.

"We'd done everything in our power, Commander," he finally said in constricted voice, suddenly his hand was clenching on his lap.

Silence fell in the room. Judging from the skeptical look on his eyes, Keith might be thinking that he doubted Erwin was being sincere about it. Erwin shifted his eyes to the papers on the desk.

"Erwin," Keith began, "about the thing we talked last month. I already made up my mind. I'm not hesitating again."

Erwin widened his eyes and looked at Keith again. "Commander, you don't mean —"

"Yes, Erwin," Keith cut in sharply. "I am not capable to lead anymore."

"Because this mission was a failure?" Erwin guessed quickly. "Survey Corps has been losing all this time. We have many more failed missions in the past, we rarely succeed, Commander. This one is not a justification of your incompetence as a leader. We still need your guidance, as well as your leadership. I still have a lot of things to learn from you."

"I'm no longer your mentor, you had learned everything from me, besides," he paused a moment, a faint smile of pride quirked on his lips, "the other soldiers trust you with their lives. It was a suicidal operation, yet they executed it under your direct command without hesitation."

"I was planning it without your consent, moreover, I even asked them to conspire with me against your order," Erwin admitted. "I had done a inadmissible insubordination. I deserve a penalty for that."

"Which also means they trusted your judgment more than they trusted mine, and I'm not feeling offended by it," he hastily added when Erwin opened his mouth again. "They did what they thought would give a better outcome for the expedition. I'm not even mad, to be honest, I'm glad they put their trust in the right person."

"But in the end, it's not working as I planned," said Erwin bitterly.

"That was my fault, I think," Keith stated without denial. "Levi was right, I was getting in the way. Now that I got a better view of our fruitless expedition from these reports, I bet your plan would be successful if I was not too emotional over the casualties. At least, we would be able to achieve something…" He sighed, piling the singed papers into the drawer.

"Commander, give some time to rethink about that," Erwin demanded.

"I'm done considering, Erwin," said Keith impatiently. "Do you think I'm not even competent to make a decision like this?"

Erwin shook his head then spoke with more serious tone of voice. "No, sir. I just don't want you to rashly come in decision because you feel caught up in the moment. I demand you to rationally decide it because you are confident I am worthy and ready for this position."

"Then this expedition gave me a very clear answer," said Keith solemnly. "I can't lead this Legion without you, but you can lead it without me."

Sounds of clock ticking were the only thing that hearable in the office for couple minutes because Erwin completely had no argument about this fact. Keith continued.

"What do you say, Erwin? It's impossible to have two people in charge at the same time."

"If this is your final decision and the best course of action for Survey Corps, I have no objection whatsoever, Commander."

"You have my utmost apologies, for having to call upon you the corps leader and passing this obligation to you in times like this."

"No, sir. No matter what state the world is in, I will devote my life for this cause," said Erwin heartily.

"As expected from you," said Keith proudly.

Keith stood up, loosening his bolo tie. Erwin followed him. Both of the men were standing in the middle of the office, giving a wholehearted salute to each other.

"I, Keith Shadis, hereby appoint you, Erwin Smith, to be my successor as the 13th Commander of Survey Corps," Keith declared ceremonially, tying the bolo tie around Erwin's collar. "Are you, Erwin Smith, ready to bear the responsibility to decide the fate of humanity, to eliminate the enemy of mankind, to relentlessly fight for the freedom of our race, like our courageous and altruistic predecessors had done in the past?"

Underneath his composure, Erwin's inner self was overwhelmed with tremendous satisfaction. Screaming internally, Erwin felt the heaviness inside his chest went slightly lighter. His tempestuous rage transformed into a new spirit of hope. At least, he could make a significant effort to make amends for his unforgiveable sins, to bring about some semblance of meaning in countless deaths of his comrades.

_With this, I will definitely make their deaths mean something._

"Yes. I, Erwin Smith, do solemnly swear, that I will dedicate my life for the counterattack of mankind. I am prepared to offer up my heart and give my undying loyalty for the benefit of human race. I hereby am accepting the duty to lead the brave soldiers of humanity to take step forward toward the freedom, as the 13th Commander of Survey Corps."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Later that night, Levi was alone in his bedroom, sitting on the chair. It felt like his stomach had shrunk to a size of teaspoon; his appetite was nonexistent and after drinking a cup of tea, his gut was churning wildly. He scurried from the gloomy dining hall as fast as he possibly could and locked himself in his bedroom.

Clutching the badges tightly until his hand felt numb, Levi opened his bag.

Badges, so many badges. The small bag was crammed with heaps of dark blue and white feathers emblems. Levi sighed indignantly, shoving two badges of his dead subordinates.

Two another poor souls were perished.

Who was it to be blamed?

Was it his mistake?

Was it his decision that somehow led to harrowing event like this?

Was there anything he could do to prevent this from happening?

Was there anything he _supposed_ to do to prevent this from happening?

Or maybe destiny had been written this way?

His mind had gone haywire. Questions were running inside his head. He wasn't looking for answers. He just wanted to stop thinking about them but it seemed like his brain had an unstoppable massive bleeding of unanswered questions.

He zipped the bag with difficulty and put it on the table. A sudden painful twitch stung his left shoulder. He hissed, rubbing it repeatedly. The pain reminded him for another poor soul that crossed the great divide.

"_It's not pointless to die in order to save you."_

Levi would never know why she went that far to save him. He would never have a chance to ask her again for her real reason. Why did she endanger her live for a stranger like him? He thought maybe she was a foolish brat that always did things impulsively without proper thinking, noisy as fuck, with extreme foolhardiness he even wondered how could she lived after all this time with such recklessness. What was she thinking when she jumped off the cliff? Levi couldn't tell if she's really determined to save him or just suicidal. A brave girl without a brain, he daresay.

Nevertheless, he was very certain that none of her peculiarities were the cause of her death.

What if he went against Erwin's order?

What if he insisted for her to go with the main troops?

What if he just knocked her out and hid her unconscious body inside medic wagon?

What if he ignored his freaking pathetic injured shoulder and joined the decoy squad?

What if he sneaked into Mike's squad?

What if… What if… What if… What if…

A hundred of 'what if' later, Levi got no answers but finally drew one conclusion: it was him; she died because of him.

"You stupid brat. I was the one who almost died, not you," he said quite loud like he was talking to someone in his room.

He massaged his forehead, brooding about everything that had happened sequentially, trying to surmise the next 'what if'. Sounds of people chattering and walking in the corridor were coming from outside his room. Dinner probably already finished and soldiers went to their rooms to sleep. The sounds dwindled until silence slithered again in the air.

But to Levi, there was never silence in his nights.

The noises were always here, haunting him, following him everywhere, roaring in his ears from time to time. Noises of undetectable sources, voices of the unseen mouths, there was no telling from where those came. Levi always pondered if he was still in his right mind, because right now, he was hearing them again.

"These fucking walls are talking to me again…" he mumbled exhaustedly.

At first, it sounded like raindrops falling on the rooftop, gradually changed from light drizzle to very damn heavy downpour. Then, the rain felt so real as though he could feel the frigid bullet drops on his skin. Levi drew heaving breaths and closed his eyes, burying his face into his palms. Noises became very bizarre; combination of hoofbeats, a big whoosh of air, gunshots of signal flares, shrieking people and loud thuds, and many more noises he couldn't identify. Images flashed before his eyes: the white brume, blocking his path; glimpses of gigantic shadows far ahead of him; streaks of green; spilling gore on the ground…

And the horror began again.

Like an overture of gruesome rhapsody, his mind replayed the same story of them dying from the very beginning. Levi heard it again, her scream, a terrible, drawn-out scream pounding to his eardrums. He saw it again, her head rolling before his knees, her flashy red hair stained with dark mud. He never forgot her withered green eyes stared back at him. The once very vibrant emerald eyes became so hollow, staring aimlessly in utter terror for eternity.

"_We're counting on you, Big Bro! Get those surface citizenship tickets for us!"_

The rhapsody moved on to the next act. Levi saw him there, still alive, retaliating with all he could. Levi was relieved; he thought he had a chance to save him. He was sure he already galloped his horse the fastest way he could, but the distance never got any closer. He realized he was too late. His last desperate attempt to save him was useless. His smile, his last smile, he died…smiling at him. He was waving at him, the same thing he always did when they were parting ways… He gave Levi his one last smile and salute, before his body got severed into two pieces right in front of his eyes.

"_Levi, please, have faith in us!"_

Images blurred. Noises faded away. As the grand finale ended, his brain oozed the same question again, for God only knew how many times.

Was it truly a choice with _no regrets_?

Breathing heavily with beads of sweat breaking out over his face, Levi abruptly opened his eyes and banged his fist to the wall with all his might, feeling the collision to the intact brick crushing his knuckles, but the pain was nothing compared to the inner damages on his weary soul.

Guilt.

Venomous drips of guilt seeped into him from every pore on his skins, intoxicating him with self-loathe that paralyzed his senses.

Rage.

An intense rage swept all over him, burning savagely as if there was a volcano inside his chest, erupting and drowning him in boiling lava.

Hatred.

An absurdly substantial inner turmoil wrecked his mind, exploding from his hatred. Hatred so powerful that he never knew he could possess it before.

Regrets.

The grievous coldness of regrets pierced into him, penetrated deeper than the sharpest blade could do. It was freezing inside his very heart. It was flowing in his veins and arteries. It was within the air he breathed. It was residing in every part of his living cells. It was wrapped around his soul. It was everywhere, surrounded him like a cage, and trapped him so forcefully with insufferable feeling of bereavement.

Those feelings were way more excruciating than any physical pains he ever experienced.

Trying to suppress emotional torture that nearly ruined his sanity, Levi got up from the chair and flumped on his bed.

It'd been almost forty eight hours since the last time he slept. Sore and stiffened muscles begging him to take a rest, but he was reluctant to close his eyes. He was scared to see another nightmarish replays and flashbacks, which he was unable to switch off.

His reality was nightmares of never ending sleep. His sleep was a hellish abyss harsher than reality.

Some nightmares didn't end when he opened his eyes. Ruthless reality loved him so much it couldn't even let him had a momentary peace of mind in his dreamland.

No matter what he did, he could never escape from this cruelty.

"Humanity's Strongest Soldier, huh? What a joke…" he whispered.

He stared at the ceiling unblinkingly, refusing his knackered body whimpering him to fall asleep.

Seemed like tonight would be another restless night for him.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to kittylover195678 for betareading this chapter! :D**

**I was planning to update last week, then I watched ACWNR part 2 and I was depressed for the whole weekend and couldn't write...**

**Trio RBA got stuck in the traffic, so they didn't make it in time to breach Wall Maria. But Bertholdt and Reiner will come in like a wrecking ball pretty soon.**

**I'm aware that this story has very slow progress, I apologize for it. For those who are looking for the romance, don't worry, I have super-teary heartbreaking love story arc, probably with some (hardcore) smut, but it's still a long way to go, maybe 20-25 chapters later, so please be patient. Why does it take so long? My reasons are:  
1) this is a story about Survey Corps as a whole, not just LevixOC, I'm doing a lot of characters' development so the focus of this story is not always about Levi and my OC;  
2) I'm allergic to OOC-ness, and to write Levi's character as someone who interested, let alone fall in love, immediately for no apparent reason with someone he just met few days ago is a complete OOC in my opinion. I want to write how the relationship between my OC and Levi grow gradually. But Levi is very goddamn hard to write. Isayama also stated that Levi is clumsy in romance, that means, a lot of character development before the 'love phase' *cry*;  
3) I want every interaction between the characters flow naturally and reasonably, so I need time to establish their relationship.  
Please tell me if I make any canon characters too OOC, and please review, I love to hear your opinion.**

**Keysha30: Thank you for your compliment and the birthday wishes! :3 I gotta say I want an OVA about the veterans, but since most of them are dead, well, I guess I will make story about them myself. I'm not gonna dictate to the readers what kind of person my OC is. I will give hints through her actions and thoughts, hopefully you can portray her the same way I do, besides the less I reveal the more you can wonder.**

**Shydae: Thank you so much! Enjoy this chapter! :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**Attack on Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 6**

**-Year 845, five weeks after 29th Expedition-**

It was a broiling day in Shiganshina District. The end of summer almost arrived, but the summer breeze still blew very hard, bringing the dry and hot wind into the whole district. It's a rare occurrence for something like this to happen, even in the hottest day of summer. But today, it seemed like a fiend had pricked a small hole from hell, letting every ember and dryness leak into mortal world and torturing humanity with unbearable heat. Everyone avoided going outside in a day like this, but the Garrison soldiers had no options but to do their duty.

"Damn! Why do we have maintenance duty in this damn hot day?!" spat one of the Garrison soldiers. "It's even hotter on the top of wall!"

"Because we can't abandon our job just because the sun is shining brighter than usual," said Hannes dutifully, although all he did was sitting on the stacked crates near the canon. "Pass me those beers."

"Hey man, you already drink more than you should," said his fellow Garrison soldier as he passed the bottle.

"What else should we do? Canon maintenance duty is boring as hell!" Hannes griped, gulping half of the bottle then looking aimlessly at the land outside the wall. "Hmm... What is that?" he mumbled, squinting his eyes.

He grabbed his telescope and looked at a small silhouette far across the open terrain. Focusing the lens, he spotted a speck…walking on the open field, apparently heading toward the Walls.

"Hey guys!" Hannes shouted. "You won't believe this! There is someone walking outside the wall!"

All his comrades stared at him with wide eyes before bursting out in derisive laughter.

"C'mon man! You should have your eyes checked!"

"There's no way a human would walk freely outside! You must be imagining things!"

"Or maybe you've had too much drink!" said another soldier then series of laughter erupted again.

"But… But I'm sure it's someone there..." Hannes insisted even though he sounded not quite sure. He gazed again through the telescope, scanning the area, but couldn't find a single sign of any human. "Maybe I was wrong after all..." He turned around and walked away, grabbing more beers from the crate.

Unbeknownst to Hannes, he was not wrong. Approximately five kilometers away from Wall Maria, someone was struggling hard between life and death to reach the Walls. She trudged, forcing her tired body forward with weakened steps. Her jacket was torn and tattered looking like mere rags; her white pants stained with blood and dirt. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the straps of her knapsack, which had heavily scraped her shoulders. Suffering from dehydration and heat stroke, fever from infection on her injured leg, and stomach that kept growling because she didn't eat anything since yesterday weakened her considerably. Pulling her hood to shield her face from the sun, she looked up hopefully at the view of Wall Maria.

_Finally… I'm almost there._

She limped faster then came to a halt, sighing sorely. From the forest at the far west, she could hear titans heading towards her direction. There were at least seven titans on the way, she presumed, judging from their footsteps that rumbled louder and louder.

"Are you kidding me?!" she shouted exasperatedly. "I don't have time for this!"

She ran as fast as she could, and every step sending a crushing pressure to her chest. A smarting throb coursed through her; the wound on her left leg began to bleed again. Neglecting the fresh crimson oozing all over her thigh to her boot, she tried to sprint faster as she saw a ten meters class emerged from the forest.

_What should I do now? Wall Maria is too far away. I don't have much gas left._

Like she predicted, six more titans just came into sight, running lustfully toward her. She widened her eyes and quickly analyzed the situation: two deviant types, both were fifteen meters class, one twenty meters class, and the rest varied between three to five meters class.

_If I fight them all I can't climb the wall, but if I don't fight… I will definitely die._

They were already too close before Alex could decide, leaving no options for her but to fight them all.

"You just can't leave me alone, can you?" She activated her gear and plugged her blades in, bracing herself for the upcoming battle. "Now that I am this pissed off, I will slay every last one of you!"

Meanwhile, at the top of wall Maria, all the Garrison soldiers watched in horror as they witnessed so many titans just running out of the forest for no reason. But after looking to the direction where they were headed, it was clear as day that someone was standing there.

"I told you I saw someone, damn it!" Hannes yelled.

"We need to help him!" a soldier shouted.

"Should we open the gate?!"

"No way, moron! Those titans will barge in here if we do that!" Hannes berated his fellow soldier.

"But how did he get out of the wall in the first place?!"

"Does it matter how?! He's gonna die!" Hannes focused his telescope on that small figure, which just flew swiftly into the air, landed on ten meters class titan's neck and cut its nape with one strike.

"That person has 3DM gear! He's a soldier!" Hannes shouted, very shocked.

Then, as that person fired the hook to the next twenty meters class titan, Hannes could saw a green cloak fluttered in the air with the Wings of Freedom crest on it.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~Snk~**

At the Survey Corps temporary Headquarter — Heubach Castle, located in southern side of Wall Maria — all the high rank officers gathered in the conference room. Erwin Smith rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger, feeling so tired and dizzy. It was one hell of a meeting. It'd been four hours straight of arguments with no signs that it would end soon. The fiery tension around the oval table was surely surpassing the heat of the day.

"We are thirty days away from starting the expedition beyond the wall, but I think we really don't have enough resources to continue this operation," Mike Zacharius politely stated his opinion.

"We don't have much of a choice. Another delay in executing the expedition will set us back to where we started a year ago," said Erwin, entwining his fingers. "The fall is coming soon, and we definitely can't continue our operation in winter."

"I know we must hurry," Hange Zoe interrupted impatiently, "you know, I can't wait any longer to meet again with those majestic titans but with all due respects, Erwin, we are not ready. This is reality."

"There's still more time to get ready," Erwin insisted. "In the meantime, I will think of a way to cover the shortfall of expenses."

Hange frowned at him. "That's not what I'm talking about. What's the point of going outside the walls if we don't have enough troops to defend ourselves? Just look at the condition of our soldiers right now! There's a possibility we all may not come back alive!" She rose from her chair and slammed the table with both hands.

Beside her, Moblit Berner stood up at once, trying to calm her down. "Squad Leader, please, you shouldn't talk to him like that. It's very inappropriate —"

"Shut the hell up!" Hange yelled at her poor assistant, who slowly slumped on his seat under her fierce glare. She turned to Erwin, keeping the same glare in her eyes. "Risking lives and throwing away lives is not the same thing, Erwin. This expedition is suicidal!"

Levi sat idly on his chair with arms resting on the table, propping his chin on his hand. Examining the situation thoroughly, he looked at Hange then rolled his eyes to Erwin, who stayed calm and collected as usual. Hange had a mental problem, which caused her to be a titan-obsessed freak, no doubt about that. However, Levi had known her long enough to understand that beneath her maniacal sneer and insane obsession, she also bore a strong concern for her underlings and comrades. Judging by her livid face, he was sure that Hange was more than eager to feed Erwin to titans if he kept insisting on commencing the expedition.

Erwin, who remained completely unfazed by Hange's harsh tone, spoke calmly. "I know, but my decision is final. We will carry through the next expedition according to the schedule. I will not take any more objections," he stated unequivocally, implying his resolution to remain steadfast in his decision was not opened for further discussion.

Hange looked around the table for the support that never came from the other officers; the rest seemed had lost their guts to protest against Erwin. She shrugged, throwing her hands up in a surrendering gesture and sitting back on her chair, looking extremely furious with his autocratic decision.

"If you already made up your mind long before we discuss it, why bother hold a meeting?!" she snarled. "Our opinions are not even worth enough to be considered?! Even Keith is a way better listener than you!"

"Just drop it, four-eyes," Levi reproved her, finally speaking for the first time in the meeting. "You heard the man. No matter how absurd it sounds, an order is an order, although," he paused, turning to Erwin, "I gotta say, the last expedition was a real bummer. We got nothing but mass of casualties," he said indifferently, giving him a cold look.

"We've been over that matter Levi, don't rehash what we've already discussed." Erwin's reply was sounded too sharp, as if he already knew where this conversation would end up.

Levi scowled and opened his mouth to protest but before he could say anything, the door was slammed open with a loud bang.

"Commander Erwin Smith, sir!" Hannes barged into the room and saluted him. "I have something to report to you, sir!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Hange shouted, lashing out at him. "We're in the middle of meeting!"

Erwin narrowed his eyes at him. "You are from the Garrison? What is the matter?"

"Sir, we've spotted titans roaming near Wall Maria!" Hannes reported.

"What a big surprise," Levi commented in mocking tone. "I thought it was your damn job to keep them away from the wall."

"But those titans are being killed right now by someone from the Survey Corps!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. The tension of the meeting vaporized into thin air, being replaced by amazement and confusion. The disconcerted looks on the face of soldiers around the table were very apparent as if they were wondering whether Hannes was still in his right mind or not.

"I think booze and heat are not great combination for your mental state," said Mike, sniffing with skeptical face.

"You have to trust me!" Hannes shrieked, looking around the meeting room, many doubtful eyes darting at him. "Yes, I've been drinking, but I'm not making it up! My fellow soldiers saw it too!"

Levi, who had been looking like he was bored to death since the meeting began, stood up from his chair and walked closer to Hannes. "What makes you so sure that this guy belongs to Survey Corps?"

"I swear it! I saw with my own eyes, this man, he wore a green cloak with Wings of Freedom mark!"

"But who could that be?" said Mike in confusion, glancing at Erwin. "There's no way anyone went outside the wall without your permission."

"I have no idea who is it, but I'm sure I didn't give any orders to open the gate," said Erwin, darting a questioning look to Hannes. "Maybe someone from the higher rank ordered it."

"That's impossible," said Hannes. "The last time the Garrison opened the gate was when Survey Corps returned from the expedition a month ago. No one can pass the gate without us noticing it."

Everybody looked at Erwin, who frowned as he tried to contemplate thoroughly every possibility about it. "So, the only explanation that makes sense is that person never went past the gate," he said confidently. "And as crazy as it sounds, he came from outside the wall."

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Hange shouted incredulously. "You don't mean he's someone from the last expedition, right?! It's impossible!"

Erwin stared fixedly at Levi. It seemed like he was trying to tell him something without speaking.

Levi quickly understood the meaning behind his stare and turned to Hannes. "You saw this person fight, right? Anything unusual about it?" he asked.

"Well… I must say the way he fought the titans was incredibly impressive. He's fast, very, very fast. He killed them in one strike, and his 3DM Gear performance was the best I've ever seen. Must be someone from the veterans, I guess."

"I see," said Levi, turning to Erwin. "I'm going to help her." Then without waiting for the blond man's order, he ran out of the room.

"I think that's all for today. The meeting is dismissed," said Erwin. "All of you, go to your primary station and inform all your subordinates. We will commence emergency operation to save our comrade at the rear of Wall Maria."

"Sir, yes, sir!" all the officers saluted then hastily left the conference room.

"I want you to inform your superior and the Garrison soldiers to stand by," Erwin commanded to Hannes. "Open the gate once the Survey Corps arrives in Shiganshina District. Prepare the cannons. We need the Garrison to back us up."

"Yes, sir!" said Hannes.

"Come on, Hange." Erwin tapped her shoulder and rushed out of the room.

Hange ran to keep up with Erwin, still very confused. "Wait, Erwin, what did Levi mean with 'her'?

"It's pretty obvious," said Erwin, his lips twitching into a small smirk. "Member of Survey Corps, extremely skilled in battle, missing in the last expedition… Does it ring a bell for you?"

Her brown eyes were gleaming in bliss. "Erwin, is this what I think it is?!"

"The only one who had any odds of survival, no matter how small, is that girl."

"Yahoo!" Hange squealed. "I knew it! I knew she wasn't gonna die so easily!"

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

_This is very bad_.

Alexandra Ritter anchored herself at the back of the tallest titan that she had just killed and glanced around her as it fell down. In the following milliseconds, she examined the situation and arranged a tactical plan of attack inside her head.

_I must eliminate the deviants first, they can kill me at any moments, but how am I gonna fight the smaller ones if there's nothing to hook to?_

She narrowed her eyes, looking at smaller titans further away.

_They are slow and not too hostile, easier to take down but fighting them one by one will take too much time and gas. The fastest way to kill them is to hook myself up on the big one, attack from that height and kill them all in one movement. But…_

She stared anxiously at the approaching deviant that was followed by another deviant behind.

_The deviants are problem. I can't predict their moves. Although I can try to limit their movements by cutting through their arm and leg muscles, I don't know how fast they will regenerate… They can slap me to death like insect._

She closed her eyes, thinking so hard about decisions she's about to make, while the deviants kept getting closer, trying to reach her.

_Both are risky... Either way, I could die…_

The deviant almost got her, only a couple meters left. Alex tightened her gripped on her blades, finally making up her mind. Before the titan crushed her to death, she opened her eyes and slashed its fingers. Then, she jumped and shot the hooks to its right cheek, swinging herself around its head. She aimed another shot to the nape, slicing the thick flesh in a single blow.

The next deviant came in very fast, brandishing an arm at her. Dodging the deadly assault, Alex leapt and aimed the anchors to its abdomen. She wielded her blades at her side, cutting its inner thighs while swinging herself between its legs. She released the hook then cut all the way from the hamstrings to the calf of its left foot, landing harshly to the ground. The deviant roared painfully, moving more dangerously than before; it tried multiple times to stomp Alex with its right foot. Fortunately, she moved faster, successfully dodging the attacks by running and rolling to the side. She fired the grapple hooks to its loin and reeled herself up, slashing the titan's right hamstring. All the legs movement had stopped as the deviant fell on its knees.

_Alright… Now, the hardest part…_

Alex bit her lips, unsure of how to expeditiously incapacitate its arms. The way the titan flailed its arms around made it even harder to get a clean cut around shoulders and armpits. She tried her best to aim at its upper back and slice the right deltoid muscle, but the cut was too shallow. She released the hook and jumped, evading a fatal slap from titan's right hand. Immediately after, she realized it was a golden chance; at the moment she jumped, its right armpit was wide open because the titan elevated its hand. Risking everything, she aimed the hooks at the armpit and shredded every muscle supporting the hand.

It worked, much to her astonishment. The titan's right hand drooped at its side, unable to move. Before the titan could react, she already flew to the left shoulder, slashing the muscles from the upper back to the shoulder. Alex aimed the last strike on its front shoulder, cutting the deltoid muscle in half, deep enough to see the bone beneath the muscles. The left hand fell to its side as a result.

Now that the deviant was completely paralyzed, Alex stood firmly at the top of its head. The time was ticking away fast because the deviant had already started to regenerate.

"Come at me! You creepy monsters!" she yelled at the incoming smaller titans, reloading her blades.

The last three titans were already within her range of attack. Alex leapt, embedding her grapple-hooks into the deviant's body and plunging toward the five meters class titan; her sharp blades carved the nape. Gliding effortlessly, she continued her vicious attack, consecutively killing the next two enemies in one speedy motion. They were so much easier to kill than deviants. Landing on the ground safely, she looked around to admire her handiwork.

"That went better than I expected," she panted exhaustedly. "Now it's your turn." She turned to face the last remaining foe.

Right before she was about to eliminate the paralyzed deviant, she witnessed something really odd. The deviant was still kneeling down, howling grimly as if it were mourning all the dead titans. The titan gazed at the steaming carcasses, completely ignoring the petite soldier's presence. Alex, feeling interested with this strange phenomenon, launched the hooks near its collarbone and reeled herself up. She grabbed a bit of the titan's bangs. Placing her feet on its cheekbone, she stared at the titan's large eyes.

"Are you sad?" she asked with a sympathetic voice. "Did you live with them in the forest? Are they your companions?"

The titan growled in a low pitch, almost inaudibly.

"If only you could tell me how you feel, what is your intention… That would be great, right?" Alex cooed, smiling faintly. "What is it do you want? Why do you eat humans?"

The titan growled slightly louder than before.

"Just try to tell —"

All of sudden, the titan roared deafeningly, an ear splitting high-pitched whine.

"Oh no!" Alex gasped, very frightened.

In one swift movement, she cut through its nape precisely, but it was already too late. From the same direction the titans she fought came from, she heard more footsteps of titans running toward her.

She fell to the ground with a loud thump, glaring irately at the dying titan. "You called them all?! I really hate you!" she shrieked.

Her body didn't cooperate well with her futile attempt to flee: her left leg was numb from losing too much blood, her lungs failed to inflate no matter how deep she took a breath, head spun wildly as though she was inside a raging tornado. Lurching forward with exertion, she eventually collapsed on the ground, hardly maintaining her consciousness. Her heartbeats went through the roof as she found herself surrounded by five titans; their sizes varied between seven to fifteen meters. Wall Maria was still ahead of her.

"Is this hell?" she mumbled to herself. "No… I've been through hell before, this is nothing compared to those days…"

Alex propped her body with her elbow, striving to stand up. She shakily got back on her feet, eyeing the titans one by one.

"Getting killed by the likes of you…" she hissed, reloading the new, last pair of sharp blades she had. "I don't mind, but please, not now…not before I meet him again and get all the answers…"

With every ounce of strength she could muster, Alex prepared her fighting stance and went ballistic. She launched the hooks at the nearest titan, slitting its nape with remarkably fast movement. It was a race with time; she betted her life on her ability to slaughter all the titans before the gas ran out. Unable to think straight and make plans, she had no better idea in mind than to keep striking as fast as she possibly could; her blades digging as deep into the flesh as they could go. The titan's blood spilled all over her body and made her wound on her leg throb. It felt like her flesh was on fire but Alex didn't have time to whine. She fired the hook to the fifteen meters class titan, cutting the nape in a spinning motion then moving on to strike another titan. The thirteen meters class was an easy target because of its disproportionate body shape; it couldn't keep up with her lightning speed.

She shot the anchors at the twelve meters class titan before reeling in the wire as fast as she could. The titan swung its hand toward Alex, trying to capture her. She dodged the slap, swung up to its head, and was ready to strike its nape. But it was careless of her; by focusing on attacking the titan, she didn't realize she was already within the reach of the other titan. The fifteen meters class near her grabbed her wire and pulled it hard toward the sky, throwing Alex sixty meters high into the air.

She held her breath; the height literally petrified her. She glanced at the top of Wall Maria. The Garrison troops were already in stand by position, preparing the canons. She thought all of the ruckus she'd caused caught their attention. But there was nothing they could do to help her. The canons couldn't possibly reach the place where she was.

_Is this the end?_

Her head was throbbing, her leg hurt like hell, all of her joints and muscles were aching… It seemed like agony was her only reality. She visualized her body getting crushed on the ground…her blood was splattered everywhere…her bones broken into pieces…

_What am I fighting for?_

She gazed at vast scenery of the blue sky in front of her eyes, the azure color that she loved so much. As far as her eyes could see, there was no wall to be seen; only a very wide expanse of earth's surface met with the edge of the sky forming a faraway thin line. She reached out to that limitless horizon, grasping, clenching her hand as if she was desperately trying to seize the world in it.

_Why do I keep fighting?_

She knew by heart why she kept fighting; it was only for the sake of a desire. Stupid desire, if it's not too rude to call it ridiculous, even so, imagining the moment when that stupid desire eventually happens was overwhelming her with the will to fight until the very bitter end. The only reason she struggled to survive and come back to the cage called Walls. But, whether that desire was worth fighting for with her life, she wasn't quite sure.

_It's easier to give up…_

She loosened her grip on her weapon and stretched out her arms to her sides. Accepting the fate that this day was her last day, she looked around her and took a deep breath for the last time.

"It's said that people started to dream because reality couldn't be changed," she thought, smiling sadly. "At least, this still counts as the outside world…"

She closed her eyes, surrendering herself to gravity that pulled her closer and closer to her eternal sleep.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Levi dug his heels into the sides of his black stallion with all his power. The whole Shiganshina District looked so blurry as he rode at the speed of light, scaring many pedestrians along the way. Passing through the gate felt like forever to him until the view of the outside world hit his eyes. He broke from the formation, faintly hearing Erwin's voice commanding him to stay in course, but Levi didn't care in the slightest.

_Damn it! Please let me make it in time!_

At last, he saw two titans were standing on the field with their mouths opening widely. His heart sank to the bottomless pit when he recognized a green figure falling from the sky.

"ALEX!"

The figure didn't respond, plummeting lifelessly toward the opened mouth.

Levi jumped from his horse, firing his hooks to the titans. Wielding his blades while flying to the sky, he maneuvered in his distinctive circular motion, delivering a fast, lethal assault to the nearest titan, killing it off in instant.

In the next tiniest space of time, a streak of auburn and green color flashed beside him and fell even faster. Using the gigantic body as a support for his feet to propel himself, he dived to reach her, successfully grabbing the collar of her cloak and embracing her body. He launched the anchors at the last titan to decelerate his falling. He crashed to the hard ground, feeling the dull pain permeating on his back. To his very great relief, the girl was safe in his arms.

Laying her down safely on the ground, Levi soared again to the sky and slaughtered the last titan in one slash. He landed near her, crouching to examine her injuries.

"You sure have the luck of the devil, rookie," said Levi in a soft, almost caring voice.

Her eyelids parted slightly, a pair of hazel eyes looking back at him. "Captain…why are you here?" she whispered.

"The Garrison soldiers informed HQ that they spotted a rookie getting beaten mercilessly by titans. I presumed it was you," said Levi, his eyes filled with concern toward her. "Are you alright?"

Alex nodded slowly. "So…you are still alive… I'm so…glad…" she whispered, before closing her eyes.

"Alex, what do you mean?" He gently touched her face, but she had already passed out.

Levi pressed his hand hard on the wound on her leg, trying to stop the bleeding. Scary thoughts ran through his mind as he tied his handkerchief into a tight knot around her wound, hands trembling in dread.

_If I was too late, she could had died…_

"Levi, how is she?!" Hange shouted from her horse. She and the rest of Survey Corps had just arrived.

"She's alive, dirty as fuck, but alive," said Levi.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Hange jumped from her horse and knelt beside Levi, goggling at the unconscious soldier. "She looks very awful… But she's really alive! This is miracle!"

"She's alive," Levi repeated, gingerly picking her up.

Erwin dismounted from his horse and looked around; hot white steam emerged from the carcasses, creating a streams of thick white smoke in the air. "Titan carcasses…these all are her doings?"

"You can credit me for the last two that almost bit her head off." Levi glanced at the closest carcasses and walked to his horse, passing Erwin without looking at him.

"Are you still resenting me now, Levi?" asked Erwin.

Levi stopped but didn't take his eyes off of the girl in his arms. "I'm just relieved she's still alive."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

The afternoon wore on. By dusk, the summer air eventually cooled off a bit, as the mild wind swirled into the bedroom and brushed his raven hair. Levi closed the window, gazing through it as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the darkness of the surrounding forest. He sat back on the chair beside the bed, on which his subordinate was still lying unconscious; her breathing was very shallow and rapid. Her face flushed as though she was inside boiling water, and her skin shone with excessive sweat.

Levi took the small piece of towel from her forehead, soaking it into bowl filled with ice water. He wrung the towel before swiping her bangs aside and carefully placing the moist towel back on her forehead; he had been doing it patiently like some kind of sacred ritual for the last few hours, as Nanaba said it was the best thing he could do to alleviate her fever until they got the medicine. Levi could have guessed what kind of hellish journey she had been through by looking at her cracked and bloodied lips, dark smudges under the sunken eyes, nasty bruises and cuts that covered both arms… Her auburn hair, which used to be long and silky, had been cut messily at shoulder level. Compared to the last time he saw her, she definitely had lost a significant amount of weight; she was so emaciated as if, all the flesh had been drained out of her.

But despite all the sufferings and adversities, she's still alive. Levi rarely impressed with anything or anyone, but the fact that this childish-looking Cadet somehow survived the wilderness in titan-infested territory for the last month made him utterly speechless in wonder. Just how on earth she did that?

After another hour of tending to his subordinate in silence, Levi let out a relieved sigh when Alex finally opened her eyes.

"Just about time for you to wake up," said Levi.

She tilted her head toward him, blinking. "Captain… Levi…?"

"How you feel?"

"Terrible…" she said hoarsely, touching her head. "Where… Where am I?"

"Heubach Castle. We thought you wouldn't make it to Headquarters."

"I'm sorry, sir, for causing so much trouble…" she mumbled.

"Hell yeah, dicing titans in broad daylight, you already made all the Garrison troops shit their pants and gave us concurrent heart attacks."

Alex giggled, her lips quirking in a weird way, which looked more like a painful grin than a smile. She sat up and looked around the room. When her eyes came to a rest on her clothes, she frowned. She was wearing an oversized, long sleeved white shirt and baggy black pants, which made her look even smaller and skinnier than she already was.

"My clothes," said Levi, noticing her confusion. "Since we presumed you were dead, all of your belongings were stored in the dungeon. It's a pain in the ass to search all those dusty crates."

"Yes, it's been a month… Captain, how is your shoulder?" she asked, referring to his left shoulder that had been injured very badly in the last expedition.

"It's fine. If you want to worry, you better worry about yourself. You look like crap." Levi grabbed the tray full of food on the end table, placing it on her lap. "Eat."

Alex took the bread and nibbled it. She chewed slowly and swallowed, but her throat felt so dry that she had to force it down. After a few more bites, she stopped eating, eyes staring at her lap.

"Titans stole your appetite?" asked Levi, arching his eyebrow.

"No, it's just… I'm still alive," she said tonelessly. "I thought I was done for today."

"Yeah, you almost got yourself killed. Now eat. That's an order."

Alex nodded, and without any more words, she gobbled up the food with unrestrained hunger from two days of starvation. Levi threw her a look of deep disgust when she gulped down the soup straight from the bowl, staining the front of her shirt with drops of yellow broth. She finished her meal in less than five minutes and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, putting the tray back on the end table.

"Sir, thank you for saving me," she said. "I could have died if you didn't show up."

"Don't thank me," said Levi dismissively. "I was just doing my job, and simply returning the favor. We're even now."

"Actually, it makes me owe you one. You saved my life twice, Captain, because you're the one who left the supplies in the bushes."

Levi smirked. "You noticed the daisies?"

"How could I not notice them? They're very beautiful," said Alex gleefully. "If it weren't because of the flowers, I might have walked past the bushes without looking."

"You have very bad habit of picking up everything that catches your attention," Levi scolded, but a trace of relief coated his voice. "Never thought your quirk could save your life." He looked at Alex with an appraising stare. "And that's a nice haircut."

"Really, sir? But you just said I look like crap… Oh, wait." Alex ran her fingers through her straggly hair, pouting at Levi. "You're being sarcastic, right?"

"Not entirely. At least you finally _did _what your superior ordered to you."

Alex chuckled, remembering Levi's criticism about her long hair. "Am I really that mutinous subordinate, sir?"

"The most annoying subordinate I ever had," said Levi with absolute honesty.

Alex tried her very best to tidy her hair up, even when she was done, her hair didn't look any better. The silence continued to fill the room. She shifted on her bed uneasily, feeling very uncomfortable because of the soreness all over her body and the steely stare from Levi, who didn't break his attention away from her since she opened her eyes.

"Umm, Captain…" she said at last, trying to find words to break the awkward silence. "If I may ask, why are you still here?"

"I want to be here," he stated plainly.

"Sir, were you waiting here for me, this whole time, after you saved me? Don't you have something else to do?"

"Someone had to watch over you. Do you remember what happened to you?"

She closed her eyes, trying to recollect her memories. "I was…being tossed away to the sky, then the titan's mouth in front of my eyes, then I saw you, and then…" She rubbed her temple and sighed. "It's quite hazy…"

"Remember anything before you passed out?"

She shook her head and gazed apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, sir, I can't remember…"

"You said you're glad that I'm still alive," Levi reminded. "What did you mean by that?"

Alex widened her eyes and looked panic-stricken. "Oh, that's, umm…" she murmured. "You know, sir, I thought I was gonna die, so…"

"So?" Levi repeated with demanding tone.

She squeezed her blankets and turned her head away from him. When she began to talk again, her voice sounding strained, "I just thought that, I would never make it to the wall, and all my efforts would have been pointless, then I saw you — no, no, I-I-I mean I —"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened and some people came in: Hange, followed closely by Erwin and Mike.

"Alex! Thank goodness you're awake!" Hange screamed happily, striding over to the bed. "Here, medicine for your leg." She handed over a little bottle of pills.

"What took you so long to get that?" said Levi, looking at the door as if expecting someone else to come. "Where is he?"

"Our beloved doctor is out of the district," said Hange, pouring a glass of water. "I came to his house, his wife said he'll be back in a few days. When I told her we had emergency patient, she said he usually used that drug to treat infections."

"Thank you so much, Squad Leader Hange," said Alex as she received the water.

"It's really you, I couldn't believe my eyes," said Mike, sniffing. "I thought we lost you at that cliff."

Alex swallowed the pill before looked at Mike. "Did everyone from the decoy squad manage to get back, sir?"

Mike nodded and smiled. "We made it in time to rendezvous with the main squad and got back quickly to the gate."

"That's good to hear," said Alex, smiling back at him. "What about the other squads? Anymore casualties?"

While Hange and Mike were explaining the outcome of the last expedition in the tiniest detail, Levi was staring at the petite girl with suspicion. He still had some questions about her that kept bugging him. But when he saw her almost weeping in joy after Hange told her the retreat plan was a success without any collateral damage, he doubted that she ever meant anything with her statement.

_Maybe it was nothing at all_, Levi thought._ She was only worried about everyone's safety._

"So, yeah, many soldiers are out of commission at this moment," finished Hange, looking a bit gloomy. "Not very great, but at least we made it back."

"And we couldn't have done it without you, Alex," Mike added. "It's all thanks to you."

"But that's all Squad Leader Erwin's idea," said Alex. "I was just following the plan."

"It's Commander Erwin now," said Hange to Alex, grinning. "Commander Keith stepped down after the last expedition, and he was chosen to become his successor."

"It's not official, yet," said Erwin.

"It's only five days before the official ceremony," said Mike. "Won't make much difference."

Erwin dragged another chair and sat down beside Levi. Hange plonked herself on the edge of the bed. Mike stood in the background, leaning against the wall. The way they looked at Alex, with rigid expressions of utmost seriousness and suspicion, undoubtedly gave her the impression as if that she was a criminal who had done unforgivable crimes and was about to receive guilty verdict and death sentence.

"So…umm…" said Alex after nervously glancing to every pair of austere eyes in the room, "what are you all doing here, sir?"

"Alex, we're aware that you just woke up, but we have no time," said Erwin matter-of-factly. "Explain to us, _how_ did you survive?"

"A-a-am I…in t-trouble?" she stammered timidly, twisting her blanket until her knuckles had gone white.

"Don't be afraid, we're not here to punish you," said Levi. "We're just damn curious about how you magically popped out from thin air."

"What's the story, Alex?" Hange urged, eyes goggling at her.

"Umm… It started when I fell down from the cliff," Alex began, rubbing her temple. "I thought… I had to keep the titans busy with me to buy enough time for the others to flee. And…I ended up fighting them all until I used all my blades. Then I tried to run away from them, going back to the forest to hide somewhere. I found a very tall tree and hid myself on the highest branch. The titans were still looking around for me, so I waited until they went away. But while I was waiting, I…" She paused for a brief second. "I fell asleep," she whispered, looking rather embarrassed.

"Fell asleep?" Levi exclaimed in disbelief. "You were in a mission and you _fell asleep_?"

"Yes, inadvertently," Alex replied quickly, the pink flush on her cheeks now spreading to her neck. "I hadn't been slept for a day, I was very tired. When I woke up, it was almost sunset. And by the time I arrived at the designated point outside the forest, it was already dark and deserted, which made sense because I was twelve hours too late… To be honest, at that moment I didn't think I would survive… Until I found supplies in a crate near the bushes."

"What supplies?" said Erwin sharply, narrowing his eyes.

"Supplies for everything, blades and gas canisters, even some food and water in knapsack," said Alex. "It gave me enough resources to survive for two weeks."

Erwin immediately rolled his eyes to Levi, who was looking away.

"But I doubted that anyone left it on purpose," Alex added quickly, noticing the suspicious look still lingered on Erwin's eyes at Levi. "Maybe someone accidentally left it in the rush."

"So, you fortunately found a crate filled with supplies," said Erwin, finally looking back to Alex. "Then what happened after that?"

Alex bit her lips, looking somewhat very guilty, then faced Levi. "I'm so sorry, sir, I knew you ordered me to get back as quickly as possible, I remembered, but, but when I passed the forest, I saw them, so many of them, just lying down there and sleeping peacefully, I'm terribly sorry I just couldn't resist the temptation," she stopped for a moment, staring at Levi's confused face. "It was felt like my body moved on its own – so I, I, I just —"

"What are you talking about?" Levi cut in, his eyebrows squishing together.

Alex remained speechless, still staring at Levi with a look of solemn apology and evident guilt. Levi opened his mouth, at the same moment he eventually grasped the meaning behind the looks in her eyes, and then closed it, his eyes widening furiously. After recalling about the conversation they had about titans in the forest, the sudden realization made him understand why she kept apologizing.

"Brat, don't tell me," Levi hissed, slowly leaning toward Alex, "you decided to go back inside the forest, so you could observe the titans?"

"Yes, sir. I did," she whispered with cracking voice, all the colors on her face ebbing away.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" Levi shouted at her face and got on his feet at once. "For fuck's sake, Alex, are you a blithering idiot?! Do you want to kill yourself?!"

"I'm sorry, sir! I'm so sorry!" Alex squeaked, cringing. She hid her face behind the pillow, clutching it in a defensive posture as though it's a shield that could protect her from the wrath of Humanity's Strongest Soldier. "I'm very sorry, Captain Levi! Please don't hurt me!"

"Levi, that's enough," warned Erwin.

Levi sat back on his chair with a loud thud noise. "Why did you do that?!"

"B-b-because I think they're an a-anomaly…"she said weakly, peeking at Levi from behind the pillow. "They're so strange… I was curious and… Curiosity bugged me…"

"What kind of nonsense is that?!" Levi snapped, making her flinched again.

"Alex," Hange whispered dramatically. "You observed the titans in the forest? You really did that?"

Alex turned her head to Hange. "Yes, ma'am, I did."

Hange seized both of her hands, staring at her in absolute praise as if she saw a messiah who descended from heaven to cleanse the Black Death. "Alexandra, you're the Goddess of Science!" she shrieked. There were maniacal sparkles in her eyes, indicating she had turned on her titan-obsessed mode. "Do they eat anything? Do they drink? They have a way to communicate with others? Do they always show hostile temperament when humans are not around? How do they reproduce? They all sleep at night, including the deviants, right? Oh Alex! You have to describe every little detail of them to me right now! I really, really, want to know!"

Alex was completely nonplussed at Hange's rapid fire questions, blinking repeatedly before answering, "Umm… No. No. Yes. No. I'm not sure. Yes, but they usually sleep later than the others. They tend to live in groups like other wild animals, and do have interactions with one another."

"Interaction?! Like what?! They have their own language?!"

"No. Mostly by growling or howling, like animals. A deviant I fought today roared then more titans immediately came from the forest. It could be counted as communication, right?"

"How's the roar sound like?!" Hange inquired, her sparkling eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. "Could you imitate it for me?!"

"I told you to not poison her brain with your shitty obsession," said Levi with so much vexation in his voice.

"It's not my fault she's interested in titans! Those creatures are marvelous!" said Hange vibrantly as though this settled the matter. "You can't hold back a craving desire of knowledge!"

"Knowledge?!" Levi barked, sitting bolt upright in his chair. "It's a complete madness! What kind of sane person camps in forest full of titans?!" He shot a fierce glare to Alex, who gave a soft yelp and cowered toward Hange.

"Gathering knowledge is a very dangerous art, Levi," said Hange in a dignified voice. "It takes hard work, determination and guts to risk your life, and it's not madness, it's an unswerving dedication to science!"

Levi gave a snort of derision. "I know your greatest dream is to die inside titan's stomach, but don't endanger the lives of others!"

"Calm down. Both of you," said Erwin, raising his voice. "Hange, enough with —"

"This is the best night in history of science!" Hange squealed, completely ignoring Erwin. "Alex! Tell me more about the roar and how —"

"Shut the hell up, four-eyes!" Levi growled, rising from his chair again. "Your crazy experiment isn't important here!"

"Crazy experiment?!" Hange glared at Levi, looking highly insulted. "What is more important than revealing the mysteries of —"

"SILENCE!"

Erwin let out his most intimidating baritone voice, which successfully put an end to the unnecessary bickering. Although, the belligerent atmosphere still remained present. Hange looked even more livid than when she was at the meeting this noon. Levi was beside himself. Both seemed very ireful with each other.

"I understand your research is very important to humanity, but we have more important things to discuss," said Erwin strictly, his calm face mildly contorted in irritation. "Levi, sit _down_."

Another truculent glare clashed between them before Levi flumped on his chair and Hange stared at the floor, cracking her knuckles. The silence spiraled horribly, until a loud bang from the door snapped the gelid quietness. Nanaba stormed into the room, crossing her arms.

"If you guys can't stop yelling and quarreling in front of a sick person, just get out of here," she reproached indignantly then stared at Erwin with disappointment. "You promised me this would be quick and quiet."

"My apologies, Nanaba," said Erwin. "Hange won't stop interrupting."

"Come on, Erwin!" Hange protested, throwing her hands up in the air. "Don't you realize she has vital information which none of our expeditions had ever managed to gather in the last ten years?!"

"I know, but we're not here to discuss your experiment," Erwin chastised, sounding like he was starting to lose his patience.

"I have an idea, ma'am," said Alex, whose face had gone ashen because of all the shouting. "I'll write down my observations in official reports and give them to you. You can use them as reference theories for your experiments, to prove the validity of your hypothesis."

Hange's sulky face brightened at once. "You will? You will do that for me?" she asked throatily.

Alex inclined her head. "Of course. I would be glad to share my knowledge with others."

"ALEX!" Hange screamed, pulling her into a strangling hug in such a brutal fashion. "YOU'RE A LITTLE ANGEL!"

"Squad — Leader — can't — breath —!" Alex choked.

"Hange!" Nanaba exclaimed, looking horrified, quickly snatching Hange's arms. "Stop! You're gonna kill her!"

Alex gasped for air once Hange released her, coughing and massaging her chest.

"Now, let's focus on your story," said Erwin composedly as though there had been no interruption. "You got the supplies, and you stayed in the forest, for how long?"

"About five days," said Alex, still massaging her chest. "I couldn't stay too long because I got a little carried away, wasting too much gas and food… Then I remembered Squad Leader Hange told me that titans don't digest humans. I tracked down the path of expedition and found this, big round sticky ball made from…" she gulped and looked revolted, "the corpses of our fallen comrades. I took all their blades and gas canisters."

"See? The knowledge came in handy!" said Hange in a victorious sort of voice, which made Levi scowled at her. "Are you walking all the way from there to Wall Maria? Seriously?" she asked to Alex.

"Believe it or not, it's true," Alex muttered. "Where's my knapsack?"

"I keep it in here," said Nanaba, opening the bottommost drawer of end table.

Alex pulled out a badly tattered satchel from the knapsack. Fumbling nervously in her satchel, she extricated a crumpled map and smoothed it out. There were many tangled lines and rounds and crosses all over the map, and she had scribbled many annotations along the lines and crosses.

"My plan to go back to the Walls was like this," Alex began, showing her map to everyone. "I must travel across the open field during nighttime, because from what I've learned from the map, it's the fastest route to reach the Walls. Then, a few hours before dawn, I must retreat to the nearest forest to sleep and hide myself from titans. As long as I move very stealthily and climb the highest tree to hide, titans won't notice me." She pointed to a long line she had drawn. "I kept heading north, by foot of course. I rarely used 3DM Gear, to save the gas and blades, unless I was caught in urgent situation which required killing titans."

"After ten days, I finally reached Dieburg Fortress. Luckily, I had compass and telescope, so I could survey the surrounding area to determine the safest route to reach the Walls. But there were too many dangerous places…" She tapped her finger on the crosses around the forest near Dieburg Fortress, which had many notations like _'Titan's lair'_, _'bad idea'_, _'must be avoided at all cost'_, and _'biggest nope ever'_. "I needed five days to finally get hold of the route, but I ended up making a lot of detours, well, many unexpected events happened, like a horde of titans appearing out of nowhere —"

"Wait a minute Alex," Hange interrupted, "no, I'm not gonna ask about titans," she hastily added when Erwin raised his eyebrow and Levi glared very darkly at her, "what about your food? You said the provisions only lasted for two weeks."

"I ate anything I could find along the way," said Alex. "Mostly wild grasses. Certain varieties of grass are edible even though it tastes more disgusting than the field provisions. And mushrooms, but in summer it's quite hard to find them." Alex ran her forefinger along the bold line that connected Dieburg Fortress to Wall Maria. "The open terrain was the most terrible place of all. I had to keep moving nonstop, and it's very hard to find anything to eat. But my plan worked out quite well," she beamed, looking half-satisfied, half-amazed with herself.

"That was brilliant plan, indeed," Erwin commented, sounding earnestly impressed. "But today, you crossed the field in daytime, why?"

"I had to change my plan because of my leg," she huffed, touching her left thigh. "It was a gnash at first, I tried to make poultice but there were not enough herbs, so it wasn't very effective. The infection started four days ago and got worse everyday. I didn't think I could survive another day with this kind of infection, so I took the risk to go into open terrain in daytime, I mean, I could have died today, either from this wound or titans." Alex refolded the map. "If I made it, I'd live, if I didn't make it, well at least I tried."

The silence that fell after she finished her story seemed to be somehow heavier than before.

"Umm…" Alex mumbled, twiddling her fingers. "That's all…"

"Alex, I have to apologize to you," said Erwin. "It was me who immediately issued order to retreat after the decoy squad arrived, not Commander Keith. I made the decision to abandon you. You have my utmost apologies." He reached out his hand.

"Please, don't feel sorry for me, sir," said Alex, pushing his hand away. "I understand that it was the best course of action. The odds of me coming back alive were very slim. You couldn't put the entire legion in danger because of me. I don't feel bitter about anything you'd done."

Erwin withdrew his hand. "I'm glad you understand," he said sincerely.

"It would have been very absurd to wait for me and endanger the whole troops, wouldn't it?" Alex added. "Your call was right." She turned to Levi. "I'm very sorry for disobeying your order, again…"

Levi stared at her with ominous eyes, his jaw as rigid as rocks, lips slightly parted then pressed together as if he was in the middle of restraining himself from unleashing another rants at her.

"Sir…are you mad at me?" Alex asked warily. "I'm so sorry…"

"You're alive," Levi eventually breathed. "That's all that matters."

"Thank you, Alex, for your cooperation," said Erwin, getting up from the chair. "Sorry for disturbing you."

"When you get better, I'll take you to my favorite restaurant in Trost," said Hange, patting the girl's head. "It will be so much fun! We can have all night —"

"_Don't_," Levi warned with his deadliest tone, and Hange's only response was sticking out her tongue at him.

"Oh, by the way, Alex," said Erwin, "may I borrow your map?"

"Sure," Alex replied, handing over the crumpled paper, "but what for, sir?"

Erwin received it with a thin satisfied smile. "This may be beneficial for the next expedition."

"If there will be one," said Hange rather sourly.

"Alex, you got some visitors," said Mike, sniffing the air. "Few people."

"Let me guess," said Alex. "My fellow Cadets."

There was a sudden outbreak of rapping on the door, very loud and unexpected. Erwin twisted the knob and opened the door, standing tall in the doorway.

"Commander Erwin, sir!" said few people in unison.

"At ease, Cadets," said Erwin. "What are you doing here, this late? I believe no one issue order for you to leave Headquarter."

"Is Alex here, sir?" said the brown-haired boy loudly, tiptoeing to look over Erwin's shoulder.

"She's here, Kenneth, but it's past visiting hours. Go back to HQ and report your unauthorized actions to your superior."

"Please, Commander!" said the blond girl. "We just want to make sure she's okay!"

"She's okay, Sophie," reassured Erwin. "Nothing to be worried about."

"Please, we really want to see her, Commander," said Sophie with her most entreating voice. "Please, we're very worried about her…"

Erwin faltered for a moment before giving a nod of consent. "But make it quick, okay? She needs to rest." He glanced over his shoulder to Nanaba, who was looking back at Erwin with disapproving stare. "Another five minutes won't hurt."

"Okay, five minutes tops," said Nanaba.

Erwin stepped away from the door to let them in. Sophie was the first to dash into the room, squeezing her way between Levi and Hange and throwing herself to the bed.

"Alex!" Sophie cried, embracing the petite girl tightly. "Alex! You're alive! Sweet Mother Sina, you're really alive!"

"Yes, Sophie, I'm alive," said Alex, stroking her long golden braid repeatedly. "Please stop crying."

Instead of calming herself, Sophie sniveled even louder. Erwin made a gesture for the senior soldiers to leave the room. Once they all had left, Emory, Kenneth and Gerard hurtled toward the bed as though competing in marathon race.

"Alex!" Emory panted, staring at her as if she was a ghost. "You're really made it back!"

"Cutie!" yelled Gerard, skidding to a halt beside Emory. "God freaking damn it! You really have nine lives like cat!"

"Holy fucking shit!" Kenneth shouted. "You're still alive!"

"Very sorry to disappoint you, Kenneth," said Alex cheerfully. "That satchel literally saved my life." She pointed the tattered brown leather on the bedside table. "I know you're regretting yourself for giving it to me."

"Freaking dwarf!" Kenneth boomed, squishing her cheeks to double-check whether she was really breathing or not. "You! Are! Alive!"

"Calm down guys, or Miss Nanaba will yell at us," Alex warned. "Just, keep it down, okay? No need to freak out, can't you see I'm still breathing?"

"Well, that means," said Gerard, grinning at Emory. "We have a winner."

Emory smiled wryly, rummaging his coat pocket and handing over a brown paper bag to Gerard. "You won," he said in a hollow voice.

Sophie gasped, glaring with teary eyes back and forth from Emory to Gerard, as tough she was hoping that she misheard what Emory had said. "You two bet on her life, for a _sandwich_?! Unbelievable!" she said angrily.

"Not sandwich, Sophie, sandwiches," said Gerard victoriously, pocketing his prize. "He'll buy me lunch for a month."

"Why did I even say yes to that stupid bet?" Emory huffed, shaking his head.

"That's even worse!" Sophie snarled, embracing Alex tighter than before as if she was trying to protect the petite girl from them. "What kind of friend are you?!"

"I had faith in Alex, I knew she somehow would make a miracle, and she did." Gerard pinched her cheek softly. "Oh Alex, I'm way beyond glad!"

"Are you glad because you won the bet or because I'm still in one piece?" said Alex levelly.

"Why not both?" Gerard admitted without shame, grinning even more widely.

"Even when I'm dead, I guess you'll keep betting on me," said Alex, sighing then looking at Emory with incredulity. "And you betted that I was dead? Seriously? I thought when you scolded me because I couldn't repair the valve of 3DM Gear under one minute, you were actually worried about my safety."

"I bet because I was trying to cheer him up," said Emory, throwing an upset look at Gerard. "He was very depressed. He couldn't stop crying over you —"

"I wasn't crying!" Gerard retorted. "There was something in my eyes!"

"— unable to eat anything —"

"I ate just fine!"

"— ignoring people and barely holding conversation —"

"Stop it, you're just being bitter that you lost," said Gerard waspishly.

Kenneth gave a bark of laughter. "Dude, I heard you talking in your sleep almost every night. Calling out her name —"

"Shut your mouth, Kenneth!" snapped Gerard, elbowing in the shoulder.

"Umm… You were crying, for me?" said Alex, giving him a puzzled look. She had known him for three years and never — even in the most grueling drill ever conducted in academy — saw him cry. "Why?"

Sophie slipped soft chuckles between her hiccups while Emory and Kenneth were sniggering at Gerard, whose face had turned beet red.

"Why are you laughing? Is it really funny that he cried?" Alex asked, frowning at Emory and Kenneth, completely clueless.

"Oh, Alex, isn't it obvious?" Sophie cooed, leering at Gerard with an unsettling smile that could mean a thousand words.

"What is it?" Alex was thoroughly perplexed, turning her head to Gerard. "Why were you crying?"

"You got stuck beyond the Walls, all by yourself, of course I was sad," said Gerard resignedly, ruffling her auburn hair. "I mean, look, Sophie is still crying. Don't make it such a big deal if I did. _And stop laughing god damn it_!" he snarled to Kenneth who was now roaring with laughter.

"Oh… You were all sad because you thought I'm dead?" Alex concluded, glancing around at everyone.

"Actually, we were all very devastated…" said Sophie tremulously, releasing Alex from her arms. "When Captain Levi said you were not — you know — you didn't survive the expedition… Then I had to pack all of your stuffs —" she paused, drawing a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbing her eyes.

"We thought you were dead," Emory continued. "Until we heard the folks talking."

"Who talked about what?" asked Alex.

"Everyone was talking about you!" said Gerard. "We were in Trost District, shopping for cleaning supplies and every Garrison soldiers we met along the way was blabbering about a Survey Corpsman who came back from outside the Walls. Someone from the last expedition, they said. We guessed it was you!"

"Then we abandoned our duty and rushed here as fast as we could," said Kenneth.

"I didn't aware I would be that famous…" Alex mumbled. "But why shopping in Trost? Isn't Shiganshina closer from here?"

"The Survey Corps Headquarter has been renovated," said Emory. "We will permanently move our operation from Castle Heubach in a few days, but Cadets were given an order to station at HQ in advance."

"Only Cadets? Why?"

"Because we must do a hell of a cleaning duty," said Kenneth peevishly. "I can't tell the difference between being a maid and a soldier."

"More importantly, tell us Alex, how did you make it back?!" Sophie demanded enthusiastically.

All of them moved closer to her bed, their faces beaming.

"How's the outside world?!" said Emory.

"Okay, exactly how big are the titans?!" asked Gerard. "You fought them off, didn't you?!"

"Please guys, not now," Alex groaned. "It's a very long story…"

"C'mon Alex!" Kenneth urged. "How could a dwarf like you beating those titans?!"

"Okay, that's it, Cadets," said Nanaba who just sped back into the room. "Your five minutes is over."

"But we haven't heard the fun part!" Gerard protested.

"Sick person needs to get rest," said Nanaba sternly, gesticulating them to leave. "Once she gets back on her prime, you can hold a press conference for her."

With groans of protest, they scurried out reluctantly while waving goodbye to Alex. Alex waved back, faintly hearing Gerard's voice saying, "We'll see you again tomorrow!" before Nanaba shut the door.

"First, Erwin, and now your friends — don't any of them realize you almost died today?" Nanaba said in a dismayed tone, pushing back Alex's bangs and feeling her forehead. "Badgering questions to you in a condition like this, I should have forbid them to meet you until tomorrow. Your fever is still too high."

"I feel much better than before," said Alex. "I'm perfectly okay."

"You better be okay, or I must admit you to hospital," said Nanaba, now taking her pulse and sparing a look of pity at her protruding collarbone. "You need feeding up, having to live off grasses and mushrooms… Oh, God…" She shuddered and looked somewhat nauseous.

Alex chuckled. "Well, I didn't have the luxury of being picky, did I?"

Nanaba spent the next five minutes conducting a full body examination on Alex. Though she still looked upset, her voice softened when she spoke again. "The medicine should kick in by now. Get enough rest, Alex. I'll check on you again in a few hours." Nanaba blew out the candle and quietly left the room.

Alex laid down on her bed; the warmth of the mattress and blanket encased her body with comfort and a sense of security she was longing for, because camping in the titan-infested territory had the same interpretation as a hell of a lot of restless nights and constant vigilance.

"So… I'm still alive…"

There was no emotion in her voice except a dull frazzle and a faint trace of bitter disappointment, as if she was so close to win a jackpot then lost it in the last second. Normal people might have fallen on their knees and praised a deity that they never even worshipped before if they had went through the near death experience of being devoured by titans, so maybe Alex wasn't counted as normal people. Finding herself wrapped in a warm cocoon of blankets, safe inside the Walls, in a big castle with the bravest soldiers humanity ever had, she didn't even consider it as something to be grateful for.

"Here I am again," she heaved as she casted an aimless gaze to the silvery gleam of moonlight from the window. "Back into this cage…"

Trying to look at the brighter side of the situation, she thought she might at least have some peaceful sleep tonight since she didn't have to wake up every hour or jerk every time she heard unidentified noise, and she would get a decent meal for breakfast tomorrow. She stretched then curled in fetal position. An unusual scent stung her nose, a weird combination of lavender fragrance and strong disinfectant odor. She was sure the clothes she's wearing had been washed with too much bleach.

"Captain Levi…"

Thinking about her grumpy superior made her mind travel back to the last few moments when she believed she was going to die. She was wondering whether there were really such things as heaven and hell and considering if she had done enough good deeds to not be burned in eternal fire, until a brutal yank that nearly snapped her neck in half pulled her into a very tight embrace. The next thing she knew, she was laying on the ground, safe and sound, while her superior looked down at her with his usual emotionless face, but the look in his eyes was…weird. It was too soft, too sympathetic for someone who was well known for his abrasive attitude; the way he looked at her was almost compassionate. Alex never thought that those cold and intimidating pair of grey eyes could be so gentle and heart-warming.

"Humanity's Strongest Soldier… What an interesting person…" Alex mumbled, smiling and sniffing her sleeve. "I was not wrong about him."

The brightest side of her situation: her superior was still alive, and that thought alone managed to lift her spirits, her toilsome struggles weren't in vain at the very least. She pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes.

"There's always tomorrow," she huffed into the pillow. "There's always next expedition."

Before she could finish planning on what she would do in the outside world on the next expedition, her exhaustion had carried her off to sleep.

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

"Do you guys believe all the things she said?" asked Nanaba.

She, Mike, Hange and Levi were grouped around the fireplace in Erwin's office, all staring at the flickering fire. When no one answered her question, Nanaba glanced at Erwin, who sat behind his desk and looking like he was lost in his thoughts.

"She doesn't strike me as a liar," said Erwin. "But her story is very hard to believe."

"She didn't lie," said Levi, who was leaning against the mantelpiece. "She told me she used to live in the forest, somewhere in Wall Maria, she probably got her surviving skill from those years."

"In the forest?" said Hange, looking at Levi with confusion. "Like, in the middle of wilderness? Her parents abandoned her or what?"

Levi shook his head. "I don't know, but she said she doesn't have family."

There came soft knocks on the door. "Excuse me, Commander," said Moblit who just opened it. He and Nifa entered the room and saluted, both looking very exhausted. "We're here to submit the reports."

Erwin gave a nod then everyone gathered around his desk.

"We questioned all the Garrison soldiers from Shiganshina district about this incident," said Nifa, opening her file. "All the testimonies don't contradict with each other. Here's the outline: at 12.34 this noon, the Garrison soldiers, who were having maintenance duty at Wall Maria, spotted titans emerging from the west forest and moving straight to the open field."

"Turned out, they were after someone who was walking outside the wall," said Moblit. "She fought them all, and before she killed the last titan she…" Moblit took a long pause, exchanging a confused look with Nifa.

"She what?" said Erwin.

"She perched on the titan's face," Moblit continued with the same bewildered expression as if he couldn't believe what he was reading. "The witnesses stated that it looked like she was trying to…initiate some kind of communication with the titan."

"That's freaking amazing!" Hange squealed.

"That's fucking stupid," said Levi. "What happened after that?"

Moblit turned to the next page. "The titan cried, and then she killed it. Shortly after that, five more titans came out from the forest and attacked her."

"You hear that, shitty glasses?" said Levi mockingly. "That's fucking stupid."

"What happened before she killed the titan?!" Hange asked to Moblit, acting as though Levi hadn't said anything. "She tried to communicate, maybe the titan said something —"

Erwin cleared his throat, shooting a warning look at Hange; the spectacled woman instantly stopped talking and replied his cold stare with a mildly annoyed expression.

"Sorry, Erwin," she muttered. "Old habit."

"What happened next?" said Erwin to Nifa.

"She was overwhelmed with the sudden aggression, though she managed to kill three more titans," said Nifa. "And then Survey Corps came into the scene and saved her. All the details are in these reports, Commander." She put the file on the desk.

"Thank you for your hard work," said Erwin. "You're dismissed."

Moblit and Nifa saluted and excused themselves. Erwin opened the file, unable to compose any sentences, apparently torn between admiration and deep incredulity.

"So," Levi began, "the best cadet in history of military is not a joke at all."

"She was stranded for a month and somehow she managed to survive," said Mike. "Tracking back her way to the Walls, alone, I daresay her scouting skill is on the same level as an experienced soldier."

"She got an infection for days," said Nanaba. "It's not something you could bear with sheer willpower. Even in a pretty bad shape she fought titans and almost killed all of them. Her endurance is pretty impressive"

"Don't forget about her wit," Hange added. "It takes more than just animal instinct to survive with limited amount of resources. She's very knowledgeable with wild plants, I suppose, good enough to differentiate the poisonous and edible ones, and she could gather herbs for remedy."

"We got a one in a million soldier in our hands," said Erwin with a rare tone of amusement, flipping the report papers with too much enthusiasm. "I really need to read her files from boot camp."

"I know that look." Hange pointed her forefinger at his face, brown eyes squinting in suspicion. "You're planning something, right?"

Erwin didn't bother to conceal his smirk. "You bet I am."

"What are you going to do now, Erwin?" said Nanaba hopelessly. "Survey Corps is still in destitution and we only get one injured soldier to reinforce our troops. Are you still insisting to proceed with expedition?"

"Of course," said Erwin. "Hope that in a few days we can gain all the funds we need to commence expedition."

"Are you performing miracles now?" asked Mike. "In case the accounting department forgot to tell you, our budget barely enough to keep this legion operational."

"I have my ways," said Erwin lightly, looking at his comrades one by one as if he was trying to reassure them to not worry about it. "Just leave it to me. My plan will work out. I'm very sure of it."

"Damn right you are," said Hange, crossing her fingers.

Mike patted Erwin on the shoulder then left the room along with Nanaba and Hange. Levi didn't move from where he stood, instead, he moved closer to Erwin's desk and sat opposite of him, staring with an obvious distracted look.

"What a hell of a rough day," said Levi. "Being Commander is not always about acting all high and mighty, huh?"

"Leadership is not about making friends, it's about getting things done," Erwin replied, flipping a few pages of the file and starting to read. "Some people may not like my order, but they have to deal with it."

"You're saying you want Hange as your enemy?" Levi scoffed. "She might have shoved her blades down your throat today, if Alex didn't show up and divert her attention to her beloved titans."

"She's always on her berserk mode whenever she's angry or frustrated, I got used to it, but I'm not talking about her." He rolled his eyes to meet Levi's. "Are you still resenting me?"

The answer didn't come even after Erwin finished reading the whole report a full twenty minutes.

Erwin closed the file and leaned back to his chair. "I even apologized to her. She forgave me, so why won't you?" he said, his eyebrows drawing together. "What is your problem?"

"I don't resent you," said Levi, clenching his hand, lowering his gaze to the table. "You ordered me to keep an eye on her, and I failed. It's just… I think your decision to entrust her to me was wrong."

"I ordered you to work together with her," Erwin clarified. "You've done it very well by coming back alive after temporary MIA during the last expedition. I never blamed you for her 'death'. Why are you making this matter personal? Even going so far as to steal from logistics division?"

Levi's gaze was back to the icy blue eyes. "You knew?"

"I'm the Commander, I must read every report from every division, of course I knew. A crate full of supplies was gone, someone must have taken it. So, why?"

"I'm allergic to death, especially if it's me causing someone else's demise."

Erwin smiled, in a consoled way. "You are a kind man."

"What kind of rubbish are you blurting about?" asked Levi, utterly surprised.

"She's an amateur, exceptionally great fighter, inexperienced, very young…" said Erwin with traces of concern in his tone. "She reminds you of them, perhaps?"

Levi shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just trying to not screw this up."

"You're not upset because you failed my order. You are more frustrated because you think she almost died because of you," Erwin concluded, resting both hands on the desk. "Am I right?"

Levi always wondered whether Erwin had psychic powers to read his mind because no matter how hard he tried to keep his face calm and expressionless, Erwin always ended up knowing what was running inside his head.

"Are you trying to make amends for their deaths?"

"I'm trying to not repeat history," Levi retorted. "If there's a way to save someone's life even with the smallest odds, it will be damn worth it to try."

"You are really a kind man." Erwin curled his lips into a smile again.

"Stop spitting nonsense."

"By the way, she's still in your squad," said Erwin, handing over the file, his commanding tone already returning to his voice. "Fill and sign these reports. I expect you to finish them before my inauguration, so I have enough time to explain about her special circumstances to Supreme Commander Zackley, hopefully she's not required to attend a hearing. And you have to supervise her training until she's fully recovered."

"After all the mess I'd done in the last expedition, you're still ordering me to lead a squad?" said Levi, disillusionment was etched in his eyes.

"Of course."

The crease on Levi's forehead went slightly deeper.

"You don't like it?" asked Erwin.

Levi sighed heavily. "I don't know what you see in me, or what you expect from me. I'm nothing like you, Erwin. I'm not cut out to lead people."

"Didn't you decide to follow me because I have vision on something you can't even see?" Erwin reminded, still holding the file in front of his scowling face. "Do you trust me?"

After long moment of consideration, Levi snatched the file with unnecessary force. "I'll trust your judgment on this one," he said in a resigned voice, springing to his feet and hastening to the door.

"I'll assign new soldiers for your squad, too," said Erwin just before Levi walked out of the room.

Levi turned around, looking impassively at Erwin. For a split seconds, it looked like he was about to reject that idea, but he finally moved his head in one stiff nod.

"Do whatever you want," said Levi wearily before slamming the door shut.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, very sorry for the super late update. Final year of med school is nastily exhausting. The good news is, I'm on holiday right now and have so much free time to write! :D Thank you for reading, following, and adding my story to your favorite lists! Constructive criticisms are always appreciated.**

**Chapter 6 revamped on August 15th 2015. Special thanks for my beta-readers kittylover195678 and EndlessXstarrynights.**

**tannerpies: Thank you! Enjoy this chapter!**

**KasukeHagase: Thank you so much! Yes, she's the main OC with more mysteries and secrets than FBI agent. I hope this chapter answer your curiosity :D**

**lilnightmare17: Here ya go! Enjoy!**

**KnightWriterRLK: Wow, thank you! I'm so flattered, though I don't think I deserve a praise on the fighting scene. It's not even close to my imagination, I think I poorly executed it because of my writing skill is too mediocre.**

**Keysha30: Actually, I've finished with plotting this story with all the arcs and characters development since last year, so it's kinda surprised me that what happened in ACWNR 2 confirmed my theory. If you're interested, send me a PM and I'll talk about my 20k words meta analysis on Levi's personality ;)**

**Guest: Thanks a lot! I don't tell all her background story at once because it's plot-related. I'm not gonna abandon this story, you have my words ;) Thank you again for the long review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Attack on Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 7**

**-Year 845, two weeks before 30th expedition-**

Survey Corps Headquarter was a medieval castle located in southeastern part of Wall Rose, not too far from Trost District. The four floor castle surrounded by the forest that served as a perfect 3DM Gear training field. The main courtyard was vast; there were running tracks for physical fitness training, training grounds, field exercise and horseback riding. Behind the main building, there were stables that functioned as home for about two hundred special bred horses. After the sudden and unexpected collapse of half of the southern wing and the entirety of the west wing (which destroyed the private laboratory of the deranged scientist), the main operation of Survey Corps was temporarily relocated to Heubach Castle. Since the case was closed and the Military Police investigation revealed no malice was involved in the unfortunate event, Central Government granted the permission to earmark the taxes from citizens for renovation, and thus severely cut the budget for the next expedition.

And now, the Headquarter was looking as good as new, although the remaining thick layer of dust and scraps of wood littered the whole building. Good thing, there were always cadets to do all the labor work, including cleaning the entire new building — which was still far from finished — and moving the furnishings, like today. After lunch break, all the cadets gathered up in the front yard, waiting for the wagons transporting goods from Heubach Castle. The famous cleanliness-lover superior had ordered them to pristinely clean every nook and cranny of the building, he even made an unreasonable proposal to the Commander that cadets' training hours should be significantly allocated to cleaning hours, in which the Commander unwillingly approved after a long time spent bargaining. So, the cadets had nothing to say in their defense and could do nothing but follow the grand cleaning plan, if they still valued their lives and their military career.

"I'm gradually losing my sanity with all these ridiculous tasks," said Gerard as he watched incoming wagons with a dispirited expression then glanced to the girl beside him. "Thank goodness Miss Nanaba cleared you to do cleaning duty."

Alex, who seemed to be the one and only excited to start cleaning duty, rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. "I'm ready to work!" she said eagerly. "I've stayed far too long in infirmary, doing nothing. You have no idea how boring it was."

"I wish I was locked up in infirmary," said Gerard seriously. "Maybe I should pretend to be sick or something."

"You need to be on the verge of death to skive off this duty," said Emory with calm expression. "Captain Levi won't care even if you break your arm as long as you could sweep the floor."

Gerard's face went slightly disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll stick with dusting the cupboard…" He flung an arm around Alex's shoulder and ruffled her auburn hair. "We're counting on you today, cutie."

"Don't worry, I'll clean extra hard today to make up for my absence," said Alex, cracking her knuckles.

"If this goddamn Headquarter ever collapses again," said Kenneth fiercely, crossing his arms and glaring at the building behind them. "I'll submit my resignation letter first thing on the next day."

"Cheer up, dude," said Gerard bracingly, giving a pat on his back. "You survived three years of military training, you can survive this."

The wagons stopped right in front of the main gate and the Cadets hurried to start their work, and Alex was the first one who dashed off and took out the crate.

"I'm a soldier," Kenneth hissed as they had finished unloading the last wagon. "I am a full-fledged, legitimate soldier. I'm here to fight titans, not become a freaking slave labor, that damn midget!"

Alex chuckled to her palm, seeming like she found enjoyment in Kenneth's frustration. "I believe Captain Levi always supervised the cleaning duty."

"No shit," said Kenneth sourly. "He always glared at us like starving eagle, barking out instructions non-stop and criticizing every single thing we did."

"He usually got very pissed off because we couldn't do as he expected," said Gerard as he lifted a heavy looking crate, "then he started using many words that I don't feel comfortable repeating in public. Every single day was like hell."

"It couldn't be helped, I think he's not the most mannerly person to begin with," said Alex. "By the way, anyone see Sophie? She had already left the barracks when I woke up this morning, and I haven't seen her at all today."

"She took a leave of absence today," said Emory, carrying the biggest crate and following the other cadets toward the staircase. "She told me yesterday she had to go home for important business."

"She ran away to Quinta District on the busiest day?! What the hell?!" Kenneth growled, picking up three stacks of crates at once. "I bet she couldn't stand to do more cleaning, that pathetic bitch."

Emory looked at Kenneth with a thoughtful expression. "Now that you mention it, she's really hopeless with this kind of stuff. It's almost like she never done this before…"

"I feel sorry for her, I mean, Captain Levi yells at her all the time," said Gerard, shuddering at the remembrance of the horrifying scene. "She's very tough to handle all that pressure."

Recalling how frightful the wrath of Humanity's Strongest Soldier could be made them march up the stairs faster. When they reached the second floor, Kenneth immediately came to a halt, turning around and looking down.

"Dwarf, you sure don't need help with that?" Kenneth asked, making a funny expression somewhere between intangible pity and a grin of amusement.

Alex was left behind by her comrades; she trotted miserably at the bottommost stairs while bearing a crate which weight seemed too much to be handled by her tiny stature.

"I—don't—need—help—!" she grunted, taking several steps forward with a worrying totter like she could crumble any second.

"I think you're gonna snap your back in half," Emory commented. "Don't push yourself too hard, you're still recuperating."

"No—I'm—fine! Really!" she convinced him, or perhaps convinced herself.

Gerard sighed and walked down the stairs. "Just give it to me, Alex."

"I can do it by myself!" she insisted. "Go, I'll be fine! I'll keep up you all!"

Her comrades gave her one last concerned look as they kept walking up the stairs. Alex took a deep breath and continued to climb up with all her might. And then, halfway up the staircase, not concentrating on where she stepped on, not thinking about anything but the cramps in her arms and back, her foot slipped. She gave an ungainly wobble before eventually losing her balance, and letting the crate fall out of her weakened clutch.

"AAAAAARGH!"

***CRASH!***

***THUD!***

"OUCH!"

Alex tumbled down two flights of stairs into the main hall. She landed on her stomach with a painful thud, feeling she just crashed against something hard, but not as hard as the stone floor…

"Is this a hobby of yours? Tripping and falling off of stuff?"

The gravelly voice struck her like jolts of electricity. She opened her eyes only to meet…a pair of steely gray eyes staring at her with absolute annoyance. She stared back, blinking absentmindedly, then let out a horrified gasp upon realizing she just landed right on the top of her superior — who was lying sprawled on the floor — with faces just an inch away from each other.

"Captain Levi!" Alex screamed, jumping on her feet at once and helping him to stand up. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry! It's an accident! You okay, sir?!"

"What the hell were you doing?!" snapped Levi, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was…bringing that crate to fourth floor, and I fell," said Alex weakly. "I'm so, so, sorry, sir…"

"Stop endangering yourself and other people's lives," said Levi indignantly, glaring at her.

He picked the crate up with one hand as though it weighed nothing and tramped up the staircase. Blushing vigorously, Alex trudged up behind him.

"Do me a favor," said Levi as they arrived on the fourth floor.

"What is it, sir?" asked Alex.

He stacked the crate on the corridor, staring at the devastating mess all around them. "I put you in charge of today's cleaning. Show to your useless comrades how to clean properly."

"You're not going to supervise our work?"

"Erwin summoned me. It bothers me to leave those idiots cleaning alone…" he grumbled with a desperate expression. "But at least you can look after them. I trust your cleaning, I can rest assured all will be fine."

"I'll do my very best," said Alex solemnly, covering her head with a white bandana.

"I'll check the work. This whole wing has to be cleaned today," Levi reminded, leering disapprovingly at a few cadets who cleaned the windowsill in an unsatisfying method. "Tell them to wipe every nook and canny, including all the tiniest spots, even the gaps between bookshelves, or else, they'll have to clean until dinner."

Alex saluted and stormed away, swaying the duster through the fog of swirling dust like wielding a sword. Levi threw one last disgusted look at the dust particles floating in the ray of sunlight. His hands felt an overpowering urge to grab the nearest rag and rub the window. Knowing his unstoppable tendency to never allow any filth to exist near him, it cost him every bit of determination he had to storm off to Erwin's office, which was strangely deserted with open parchments scattered on the desk, as though the Commander had left in hurry. Wondering where Erwin might be, Levi set off to conference room. He was running down the stairs, when a shrill voice screamed his name.

"Leviiiiiii!" Hange Zoe, who had just emerged from a room, shouted and waved at him from the hallway. "I have something to tell you!"

Instead of stopping to listen to whatever she was about to inform him about, Levi marched away faster and seemed to become suddenly deaf, acting nonchalant as if he hadn't heard anything, even though her voice cracked like a whip.

"Hey! Levi! I'm talking to you!" Hange shouted louder. "Damn it, wait!" She sprinted until caught up with him, blocking his way. "Listen! I —"

"No," said Levi sternly.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Whatever it was, it must be very troublesome and annoying. I don't want to get involved. Move, four-eyes." He pushed her aside and began to walk away. "I need to find Erwin."

"Erwin's out of HQ for the moment, and, I'm here to pass on his order to you. Remember what event will be held tonight?"

Levi turned back and stared at her with his usual _'I-don't-give-a-single-fuck'_ scowl.

"It's the royal ball in Wall Sina." She pulled out a tiny scroll of parchment tied with a red ribbon from her pocket. "We are indeed invited by the nobility who hosts the charity gala, and guess what, Levi? Erwin ordered you to come."

"You're joking, right?" said Levi coldly. Hearing his name being spoken in the same sentence with 'nobility' successfully made him cringe. "Why me? I thought only the brass would attend."

Hange shrugged. "Yeah, why you? I can't compehened why Erwin added an anti-social person like you to the invitation list."

It took a while for Levi to recover from the shock of having the prospect of engaging in social interaction with the pompous inhabitants of the inner walls. He exhaled exasperatedly, giving the scroll a nasty look as though it was its fault Erwin ordered him for such a maddening task. Why did he want him to come? Levi was, obviously, the least well-mannered person of all people and the word 'sociable' could not be found in his dictionary of life, questioning Erwin's judgment was not an option, but still…

Hange waited for his response, flourishing the scroll in front of his face. "So, what do you say?"

Levi gave the scroll another nasty look. "Fine. I'll come."

"Oh, great!" Hange smiled widely, shoving the scroll into his hand. "You will ride the carriage from here at four with Erwin. Don't be late! Do you know what you will wear? Come with me if you need help with the suit and bowtie, and the color of — "

"Shut up, four-eyes," said Levi irritably. "Just be grateful I'm willing to come."

"Okay then. See ya tonight!" Hange smacked his back and dashed off. "Now, time to find the girl."

And within minutes, Hange was moving along swiftly through the Cadets in the west wing, searching for the striking auburn hair among the crowd. At last, she found the girl, who was tiptoeing on a chair, dusting the top bookshelves and making a whirlwind of dust.

"There you are, Alex!" Hange exclaimed. "I've been looking for you!"

"Oh, Squad Leader!" Alex squeaked, jumping down and rushing toward her. "Ma'am! I'm sorry! I'm not done with the reports you asked me to write. I'm adding the final hypothesis for the theory about titans' social interaction and I need more time to — "

"Those reports can wait," Hange cut in. "Come with me. We have more important things to do."

"Right now? But Cadets have cleaning duty and I —"

"The others can do it," said Hange impatiently. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Hange pulled her out of the room by hand without giving her another seconds to protest. All the Cadets had stopped whatever they were doing, staring silently at Alex with a somewhat terrified, and yet very hopeless expression. Alex spared an apologetic look to horror-stricken Emory, Kenneth, and Gerard, as she walked past them.

"Squad Leader Hange!" said Gerard, running to her. "Ma'am, you can't take Alex away! We need her!"

"There are plenty of you," said Hange, waving her hand dismissively. "Shortage of one person won't make much difference."

The murmur of protests escalated rapidly into an explosion of complaints, which Hange blatantly ignored.

"Good luck with that, Cadets!" Hange shouted from the end of corridor, grinning at the look of despair on every face. "My prayer goes to all of you!" Then she ran down the stairs with Alex. "Jeez, poor Cadets. I can tell from the look on their faces that Levi is the most frightening being they've ever met in the whole world."

"But, Squad Leader, is it okay for me to go with you?" asked Alex. "Captain Levi put me in charge of today's cleaning. If he finds out I'm skiving…" She gulped and drew her forefinger slowly against her own throat, making a slicing motion to emphasize the terrifying consequences.

Hange snorted with laughter. "Don't worry, Shortie can't overrule Erwin's order."

"Commander gives me an order? What is it, ma'am?"

"You are going to the nobleman party tonight at Mitras, along with me and other officers."

Alex almost tripped again on her way down the stairs but managed to grab the railings in time. "I am _what_?!"

"We'll attend one of the most prestigious ball room parties in the entire Wall Sina." Hange was sweeping along quickly so she failed to notice the horror on the younger soldier's face. "The invitations were only addressed to the brass, but Erwin added your name in the last minute."

"B-B-But, why do you need me in that party?!" Alex demanded, hurrying to catch up with her.

"Because you are the superstar of the moment!" said Hange excitedly. "Erwin thought it would be great for you to meet all the nobilities from inner walls. Everyone is looking forward to see you with their own eyes, and to listen the story directly from you."

"I have to go through it all over again?" said Alex feverishly under her breath so Hange couldn't hear it.

The last couple weeks were a total calamity for Alex, and it was not a metaphor. With all the rumors about 'The Soldier Who Lived' flying to every inch within the three Walls, Alex had become an instant celebrity, which meant that instead of a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere to boost her recovery after her hellish journey, soldiers, usually packed in a dozen or more, bombarded her with insane amount of questions about her story of surviving the wilderness, every single time they got a chance. Even the Garrison troops occasionally came to Survey Corps Headquarter only to hear the story straight from her mouth. One of the soldiers who visited more than once was Hannes, who proudly stated he was the first one who spotted her and noticed the abnormal activities of titans. Even though Alex politely thanked him for his help, the intolerable levels of hardship he had caused by inviting more Garrison soldiers to the Headquarter outweighed the good deeds he had performed, thus making Alex seriously consider taking back her words of gratitude. Her days got even worse when journalists of Berg Newspapers departed from interior and asked for an interview, which turned out to be some kind of exhausting badgering.

The next issue of newspapers, which featured a very big sketch of her face on the front page and her exclusive interview (continuing on three pages straight), were sold out within an hour. It seemed people had been craving for the confirmation of the unprecedented hearsays, that being said, Alex became more famous than ever, which was unbeknown to her. All these profound interests were very well demonstrated with one trip to Trost District. In which Cadets were assigned to buy cleaning supplies, Alex volunteered to go, albeit it wasn't her turn on duty, with delightful thoughts that she could avoid the rest of the inquisitive soldiers and had a few hours of peace, although, this wishful thinking turned out to be dead wrong. Even with her hood up and her eyes on the ground, the citizens were staring and recognizing her on sight, and their reactions were at a phenomenal rate: random pedestrians greeted her one by one and queued to shake hands with her, a miserly-looking merchant gave a huge basket loaded with bread and cheese for free because he was so impressed with her fortitude in the face of starvation, the old man who owned a shop gave half-price discount for all the bleach and detergent if she was willing to recount her story to his grandchildren, and an infinite more of hurdles that Alex swore she wouldn't bother going back to the Walls if she knew everything was going to be like this.

The only person who shared the same sentiment with all the attention towards Alex was Nanaba, who was very concerned that the unsolicited popularity might affect her well-being. Having enough disturbances that left her with no free space to breath, Alex retreated to infirmary, with 'severe periods of weakness and lethargy' as an excuse although there was nothing wrong with her physical health besides mild underweight, just until all the hype died out. With suspension from her duty until she got better, Alex spent her time mostly writing reports for Hange, and when she had done documenting all her observations, she started cleaning all the wards out of boredom, while Nanaba busy shutting a stream of visitors out who generated ruckus in infirmary wing.

And when she thought the hell was finally over…

"But, ma'am I don't understand," Alex spoke again once they were halfway to officers sleeping quarter on the second floor. "What is the benefit of my attendance in such event? I'm a Cadet. It doesn't make sense why I'm invited."

"Are you questioning your superior order?"

"Yes, I am."

Hange came to an abrupt stop and turned around, looking at Alex — who also froze on her spot — with a very irritated countenance as if Alex had uttered a rude swear word to her. "Just because I'm indebted to you for helping me with my experiment, doesn't mean you get a free ride for overstepping my authority," she said sharply.

"I want to understand whatever Commander Erwin has in his mind," said Alex, rather more aggressively than she had intended. "Everyone knows about my story. It's all over the newspapers. I believe there's nothing left for me to tell, so why do I have to go?"

"You shouldn't be questioning how the higher-ups make the decision," Hange snapped, her voice shaking. "Your job is to do what you're ordered to. Or maybe you prefer to be rewarded with a severe punishment most befitting for insubordination."

"Please pardon my impudent words, ma'am, but I'm simply asking if you could give me little more insight into what's going on," Alex continued in more polite tone, noticing there was a menacing cold fury behind her spectacles. "Commander will never assign order without considering the possible expediency. I believe he has a certain goal for giving me this order, which leads to a question: why will my presence be important tonight? At least, I deserve to know — not all the plan, but a general picture of what's happening — so I can proceed according to his plan. If my participation is required, it will be inadvisable to leave me in the dark, right?"

They both were staring at each other in a tense silence for a long moment.

"Point taken." Hange exhaled heavily, her stern glare becoming gentler. "Very well, I'll fill you in. Don't tell anyone about this. It's a top-secret and I don't want to spread panic among the soldiers."

Trying to minimize the risk to be overheard, they moved to a quieter nook — a little secluded from the crowded corridor — which led to an open balcony overlooking the green field.

"We're having problems with the budget," Hange began, gazing vaguely to the running horses on the track field. "In fact, we've _always_ had problems with budget. But we never reached a devastating level of monetary crisis like this before. To put it simply, commencing the next expedition will definitely make us crash into bankruptcy."

"Oh…" said Alex, quite surprised with this unpleasant news. "What about the Parliament? They can't possibly disband Survey Corps because of lack of fund."

"The Central Government can't accede to giving us more money than what they already did," said Hange despondently, "and most of our current budget was relocated for the renovation. With a bleak result from our last expedition, it's only natural we are granted less money than usual… Besides, even if we make an appeal for increment, the other regiments won't just sit and watch. It may spark internal conflict. A hell will break loose within the military branches."

Alex crossed her arms on the railings, watching a few soldiers tending to their horses in front of the stables. "Then I guess not everybody in military gets along very well with each other."

Hange gave a dry chuckle. "You're a new soldier, of course you don't know. We're the main culprits of hefty taxes; one expedition expense is equal to starving multiple villages. Once we turn our backs, many other parties — soldiers, nobles, even members of Parliament — want to chew our heads off every time they get a chance…" She paused for a brief moment, clutching her chest as if pained. When she spoke again, her voice was low, but very adamant. "Nevertheless, we must continue our expedition. If we give up now, all the sacrifices we've made until now will become meaningless. We must find another way to collect money, and Erwin sees an opportunity with the charity gala."

"So, Commander wants to raise funds and support from the nobles at the party with me as bait?" Alex concluded quickly, glancing at Hange. "And if we fail, we have to defer the next expedition until indefinite notice, is that what you're saying?"

"You're as sharp as always." Hange smiled thinly at her. "I can understand if you feel upset with his plan, as if we're taking advantage of you — and we do take advantage of you — I'm not gonna sugar-coat anything or justify our actions, but the thing is, I want you to fully understand that we're not doing this with bad intentions. We do, really need your help."

"Is it really going to work?"

"I hope it will. Erwin has a back up plan though he doesn't tell me what it is, but he explicitly implies your presence can increase our success rate."

"Sounds like a pretty dicey gamble…" Alex rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But that kind of unorthodox method really suits Commander Erwin."

"I put my absolute trust in Erwin, but this situation is so stressful…" Hange muttered, gazing morosely at Alex. "Sorry to snap at you like that. I'm a bitch when I'm frustrated. No hard feelings?"

"No need to apologize, ma'am," said Alex gently. "I understand you're on the edge."

"Is my explanation satisfying? What do you say?"

"Well, with things as they are, I suppose I don't have much of choice, do I? I'm not sure I can be of much help, but I'll try my best."

The dispirited looks on Hange's face disappeared at once. She was grinning, then she said, "Really? I thought you refused to go."

"I believe you took it the wrong way," said Alex. "I only asked why I have to go. I never said I don't want to cooperate. And we need more field observations for your reports, right?" she added gaily. "Let's do it. Besides, I really want to see the outside world again."

"That's the spirit!" Hange exclaimed, now grinning more broadly than ever. "Come on! We have tons of work to do!"

Hange ushered Alex to her bedroom, which looked more like a hoarder lair than a place to sleep. It was very messy and cramped with stuff; her books and research instruments stacked all over the table and on the floor — since her lab was still under reconstruction, she obviously had no other place to store them. Many hazardous-looking metal equipments piling up at the dusty corner, emanated an eerie atmosphere as though whoever occupying this room was in the middle of planning a sinister scheme.

"Alex, meet Nifa," said Hange, addressing to the soldier who was standing beside the bed. "She's on my personal squad. I bet you never met her before."

A girl with short red hair was unpacking a big suitcase; several gowns were arranged neatly on the bed. Turning to Alex, she gave a friendly smile and reached out her hand. "Hi, Alex. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Alex shook her hand. "So, you're going to the party too?"

"No, I'll help with the preparations for tonight," Nifa explained as she smoothed out more gowns. "Gown, shoes, jewelries, make up, and the other stuff."

"Nifa is the only woman with enough feminine qualities to understand what normal women usually do," said Hange. "What is this?" She pointed to a bulging red handbag on the bedside table.

"Just some of my cosmetics," Nifa replied.

As an experienced female soldier, who spent most of her time searching for the answers about the origin and existence of titans than taking a good care of her appearance and personal hygiene, not to mention she was also as clueless about grooming as she was about behaving like a normal woman, Hange explored the contents of Nifa's handbag with the spirit of a five years old unwrapping Christmas presents. She was completely baffled by all the unidentified objects she found inside.

"Do I need to put this poisonous-looking, bloody-red, slimy paste on my face?" Hange asked to Nifa, stretching out a tiny, coin-sized tin can. "What the heck is this?"

"It's lip dye," Nifa answered. "You put that on your lips."

Looking positively alarmed, Hange quickly stowed away the tin and moved on to her next object of interest. "Hmm… And this? It looks like…a very thin brush…"

"It's a lip brush," said Nifa. "It's for putting on lip dye, so it won't get smudged."

"I see… It's very similar with my brush for collecting sample… Ack!" Hange opened a small container and spilled some of the content. "What is this?! I found something with a lot of weird powder inside!"

Nifa clapped her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggle. "That's just foundation powder in there. It's nothing to get worked up over."

Hange seemed to be completely absorbed in her study of cosmetics. The conversation about make up lasted about twenty minutes, until Nanaba burst into the room and thrust a parchment scroll right in front of Hange's face.

"I just received the invitation for the ball," said Nanaba with shaky voice. "_Why?_"

"I need a companion, Erwin said I could choose whoever I want."

"But I told you I don't want to go," said Nanaba angrily.

"Yes, I remember, but it's Erwin's order," said Hange triumphantly. "You must go even if you don't want to."

Nanaba opened her mouth, looking like she was about to scream a retort, but nothing came out and after a moment she closed it. "Oh… Fine then," she finally said in a defeated voice. "Where's my suit?"

"I need a _girl _companion," said Hange cheerfully, tossing a red, full length gown with lace trimming to Nanaba. "I choose that gown for you, it's pretty, right?"

Nanaba caught the gown, holding it between her forefinger and thumb as if it was a filthy rag. Her mortified face clearly told that she would rather jump from the top of Wall Maria without 3DM Gear than wear that feminine apparel for one second.

"No." Nanaba threw the gown back on the bed.

"Oh, come on! Please, just tonight—"

"I'm not wearing that, no way," said Nanaba gruffly.

"Nana, listen," said Hange seriously, seizing Nanaba's hands and gazing deeply into her eyes. "Listen to me, I know you lack feminine qualities, but please, just tonight, please be a girl. Do it for me and for my research, please? Please come to the party in a gown. Please do it, in the name of humanity's freedom? Or for the survival of Survey Corps? Or as a favor to a friend?"

"I'll do it… because I'm your _friend_…" said Nanaba curtly, as though she would never have befriended Hange if she knew this day would come. "Are you satisfied?"

"Oh, Thank you!" Hange squealed, giving Nanaba a tight hug. "Now, what should we do?" she asked to Nifa.

"Let's start with the basics," said Nifa, in a businesslike voice. She had changed her knee-length boots with a pair of black stiletto. "You will wear high-heeled shoes and a gown for the ball. First, make sure you can walk without falling or stepping on your gown."

Alex sat on the bed and watched Nifa demonstrating the proper etiquette of walking, pacing up and down gracefully in front of Nanaba and Hange, both looking very astonished. It felt like a déjà vu for Alex; the gowns, the various kinds of cosmetics on the bedside table, and all the anticipation for the upcoming prestigious event jogged her memory about something, although, she'd much rather it stay buried in the depths of her mind. She took the nearest gown to her lap, touching the lace frill at the collar and smiling dismally. She could understand from her past experience that a ball would always be something very eagerly awaited by the ladies; they were always so anxious and meticulous about their looks — Alex couldn't comprehend why uneven eyebrows, tiny black spots on the nose, and unruly hair managed to trigger overreactions with the same magnitude as how ordinary people would react to a world scale catastrophe. Nevertheless, the ladies also enjoyed it to their heart's content, as if they were having the time of their lives while dressing themselves up to look beautiful. However, for veteran female soldiers, who usually donned military outfit 24/7 and performed a handful of manly stuff as their daily routine, getting ready for a ball didn't look like a fun activity at all, more like an unqualified disaster.

Nanaba had a serious problem with wearing high-heeled shoes. She couldn't stand up straight without holding on to something, and when she tried to move forward, she kept tripping after a few steps. She knocked over a table in her futile attempt to prevent herself from falling, causing dozens of heavy books to fall to the floor ("This is ridiculous! I can use 3DM Gear! Why I can't stand up with _these_?!"). On the other corner of the room, Hange was giving off an impression as if she underwent physical torture when Nifa tried to put the one strap emerald gown on her. She appeared to be in unbearable pain, wailing as her subordinate tightened the rigid corset around her midriff ("NIFAAAA! STOP IT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL MEEEEEE!"; "Squad Leader, nobody ever got killed because of corset!"; "I'LL BE THE FIRST VICTIM IN HISTORY!"; "Little more pull! You can do it, ma'am!"; "AAAAAAARGH!"). The struggle was real for Alex to keep her face indifferent while internally laughing at the view of Hange writhing in agony on the floor.

After two hours of screaming, cursing, and countless awkward stumbles, Hange and Nanaba finally reached an acceptable level in etiquette lessons. Nifa then proceeded with the make up and hairdo; at last, both of them were looking very beautiful and hardly recognizable, thanks to Nifa's incredible handiwork. Hange's hair was no longer tangled but sleek and shiny, styled into a tight bun at the back of her head. Nanaba kept checking herself over and over again in the mirror like she couldn't believe it was her own reflection.

"Ma'am, you look in pain," Alex commented, watching Hange pacing again with difficulty.

Hange rubbed her waist, grimacing. "This corset is smothering me, but I'll do everything for my research."

"Okay, Alex, now it's your turn," said Nifa, taking off the white bandana from Alex's head and starting to brush her flyaway hair. "Have you chosen your gown yet?"

"What?" said Alex. "I need to wear a gown, too?!"

"Of course you are," said Nifa. "That ivory gown will look good on you. It will match your hair color."

Alex stared at the gown, wincing. "Uh… No… I don't want that…"

"And that one?" asked Nifa. "Peach color, perfect match for your fair skin."

Alex shook head.

"How about this one?" Nanaba suggested, holding a purple gown.

"No," said Alex with a mulish expression. "I don't want to wear—"

"I know!" said Hange, extricated a strapless gown from the bottommost pile. "This pink gown is perfect! It will make you cuter than you already are!"

"No!" Alex shrieked, leaping out of Hange's reach and hiding under the table. "I didn't consent to this! This is not what you told me, ma'am!"

Hange trudged toward her. "We're going to a ball. Surely I told you that."

"You never said I needed to wear a gown," Alex reminded

"Oh, well, now you know," said Hange desperately. "Just come out and try it."

"I'm sorry, I can't… I can't wear a gown…" Alex muttered, staring warily at the gown as though she was afraid it would bite her. "It's, umm… I have body issues, I'm not comfortable wearing something revealing like that…"

Hange took a few steps backward and sighed, tossing the pink gown away. "Okay, okay. What do you want to wear then?"

Alex slowly crawled out from under the table, and then said, "Anything but a dress." She looked around the bedroom, twiddling her fingers. "Umm… Perhaps… That one?" she said shyly.

Hange looked at the object she pointed at for a full ten seconds, utterly bewildered. "Alex, you've gotta be kidding me…"

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

The man in the mirror looked extraordinarily handsome.

His blonde hair had been tightly slicked back, making his features look even more prominent. He wore a one-button tuxedo in wool crêpe with pointed satin lapels worn with a classic tuxedo shirt. A green bolo tie hung loosely around his collar; he was thinking about wearing wear a bowtie, but finally made up his mind to show himself as a representation of Survey Corps. To complete his impeccable appearance, he donned the white gloves and shiny dress shoes.

"It's time for another battlefield," said Erwin Smith to his own reflection before hurrying out of his bedroom.

Levi was waiting for him at the end of the corridor. He leaned against the wall, hands inside his pockets, his black tuxedo hanging on his shoulder. Donning a black sleek trouser, plain white shirt and dress shoes, he looked unusually snazzy, but his attempt to appear neat was clearly far from Erwin's expectation. Although Erwin gave appreciation for the effort, Levi's plain and unpretentious appearance would be out of place compared to the upper-class patricians.

"This had better be one of your jokes," said Erwin flatly.

"Four-eyes said you ordered me to go, she said nothing about my attire," Levi replied lightly.

"It's a noble party. You need something more prim and proper."

"I'm wearing my cravat. I think it's classy enough."

Erwin went silent for a moment, appraising Levi from head to toe. "Come with me," he said in commanding tone.

Levi nodded and followed him. Instead of going down the stairs, they strode to Erwin's bedroom.

"You do realize your size is bigger than mine, right?" said Levi as he watched Erwin searching through his wardrobe. "I'll look like an idiot if I wear your suit."

"That's why you will wear this." Erwin handed over a white tuxedo with black shawl lapels and black waistcoat. The size was perfectly for Levi. "It's brand new. I got this today especially for you."

Levi put the suit on the bed, frowning. "And you give me this, because of…what?"

"Because I want to," said Erwin, taking a seat on the chair. "Not everything I do has ulterior motives," he added, Levi was squinting his eyes with suspicion at him. "That's a gift. You finally managed to trust and work together with your comrade, or in this case, your subordinate. That's good, a baby step, but still good, and deserves a reward. Also, I think you need suitable raiment for tonight."

"I didn't know you could be so freehanded," said Levi, starting to take his clothes off. "What are you up to now, Erwin? You better have a good plan for dragging me into shitty business like this."

"I understand your deep resentment with bureaucracy trinkets like this, but we need to fund our expenses for the next expedition." Erwin extricated a parchment from his breast pocket; some paragraphs of introduction had been jotted down on the top with perfect cursive, every letter formed with care, but the rest of the parchment was still blank. "I'm going to raise funds from the nobles of Wall Sina. If we get enough supporters, Central Government may grant our request to continue our expedition."

"Ho, really?" Levi glanced over his shoulder to see the parchment, a satisfied smirk twitching on his lips. "You are licking those swine asses for their money. I'd love to see how much lower you could get."

"As low as it takes to make Survey Corps able to face another sun rise," said Erwin bluntly.

"And how will you lick their ass?" asked Levi, continuing to unbutton his shirt. "You're not gonna shove that to their faces and expect them to sign it right away."

"I will present the most talked-about soldier of the moment to them."

Levi, who was proceeding to put on the new suit, stopped his activity in mid-action and frowned at Erwin. "You mean, Alex? What does she have to do with this?"

"It's just for the show," said Erwin casually. "Now we have a promising soldier on our side, the guests of this party, and especially the nobles, will definitely take an interest in her. The people inside Wall Sina don't know what's in the outside world. They think the stories about the titans and the actions of Survey Corp only exist on paper, until the rumors about her plagued everywhere. It makes people wonder, her story creates a change for our bleak reputation, probably able to make people believe in Survey Corps' credibility after countless failed expeditions. Tonight is the only moment where they can hear stories about what is out there. She satisfies their curiosity and in exchange, we, get financial support—"

"Let me get your logic straight," Levi interjected, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "First, you forced her to participate in expedition, then you abandoned her in titan-land, and now you want to exploit her to the utmost, flaunt her to those rich bastards like some kind of exotic animal in a freak show? Have you no shame?"

"How long have you known me?" asked Erwin with indifferent tone.

Levi seemed to be taken aback by Erwin's response, but he recovered almost instantly. "Tch. You are so callous as ever." He resumed getting dressed, his back facing Erwin.

"Don't get me wrong," said Erwin, carefully inserting the parchment into his breast pocket. "I admit I'm exploiting her, but this is necessary for the benefit of Survey Corps."

"Yeah, yeah, I forgot how you always utilize people like objects," said Levi with a kind of annoyed sarcasm, buttoning the last button of his shirt. "Hell, why am I still surprised?"

"For the sake of my plan, I order you to cooperate as well."

"Understood. But is it enough to convince those people to spill their money?"

"Don't worry, I have another trump card up my sleeves," said Erwin, forcing himself to not smile too excitedly.

"As expected from someone like you. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on inside that head of yours."

"You'll find out soon enough. By the way, do you enjoy your role as a babysitter?

"Do I look like I'm enjoying myself?" Levi scoffed. "I already have enough toilsome responsibilities to be taken care of without keeping track of a reckless brat who seems like she could get herself killed within this building."

"It surprised me, you seem more worried about me exploiting her than plight in Survey Corps." Erwin sat up straight on the chair, the tips of his fingers together. "Why do you care so much about her?"

There was a moment's silence. It seemed Levi was too concentrated to put his hands into the sleeves without making a single wrinkle on his tuxedo so he didn't catch Erwin's question. "I care about my subordinates," he said quietly.

"I'm aware of that fact, but I never thought you would be this concerned," Erwin pointed out, smiling. "I just got a subtle hint that maybe…she had caught your interest?"

"There's something about her that bothers me."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "For instance?"

"It's just my gut feelings, something about her feels…out of place…" said Levi thoughtfully. "Or maybe it's nothing at all."

"Well, then I suggest you to spend quality time to get to know your subordinates better." Erwin checked his pocket watch and sprang to his feet. "Hurry up. We're almost late."

"I'm almost done." Levi gently adjusted his frilly white cravat around his neck and checked himself in the mirror.

"Wait." Erwin stood before Levi and assessed his appearance for the last time. "Let's put up your hair a little bit."

Levi let out a tired sigh. "Do whatever the hell you want."

Erwin run his fingers through his black hair, attempting to make it more captivating. "Leave the cravat," he suggested, and Levi reluctantly pulled his cravat off. "Tonight, you need to wear this."

"Are you done sprucing me up?" asked Levi irritably as Erwin tied a black bowtie around his collar.

"And your gloves." Erwin handed a pair of white gloves, ignoring his complaint. "If you're going to shake hands, make sure you take them off."

"Shake hands?!" Levi repeated with obvious revulsion in his tone. "Why do I have to shake hands with them?"

"Proper etiquette for meeting people with exacting standards," said Erwin indulgently. "I don't mean to offend you. Our necks depend on what will happen tonight, so I assume you know how to leave a good impression on people to facilitate smooth negotiation."

Levi smirked rather maliciously. "I sure as hell know how to negotiate with people, but I always use my fist to do all the talking."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

By the time the Survey Corps delegations arrived in Wall Sina, the sun had set and dusk stretched over the sky as the backdrop for the lazily twinkling stars. Most of the guests arrived in fancy horse-drawn coaches and carriages; the gallant and marvelous carriages surely represented the superior social status of its possessors. The cortege of carriages stopped one by one at the gateway of a sumptuous manor. Behind the magnificent front gate, there was a complex of noble residence, with an immensely extensive yard that made the ten feet thick brick fence enclosing the estate look like a thin line on the perimeter. At the far left of the mansion, which was three times bigger than Survey Corps Headquarter, a small lake reflected the darkened sky, a wide serpentine stone path began from the edge of the bank and lead to a beautiful garden with carefully-trimmed rosebushes. Everything was opulent beyond words; the front gate alone might have been built with a cost equal to the budget for six expeditions outside the walls.

Erwin stepped out of the carriage, studying the flock of noblemen passing by near him. "Levi, about your face, could you loosen it up a bit?"

"No," Levi replied tersely as he got out of the carriage. "I have a murderer resting face. Give me doable order."

"I know you're not used to this commotion," said Erwin, and they joined the crowd striding the stone steps towards the mansion. "Just be yourself. And be nice to everyone."

"Which one do you want me to do? I can't do both."

Realizing that Levi's usual self was too far away from nice, Erwin quickly searched for words accurate enough to describe his order. "Try to not offend anyone."

"Are you saying it will be better if I don't speak to anyone?" asked Levi in a challenging manner. "If so, why bother bringing me here?"

"No, I want you to be sociable, in a normal way."

"Define normal."

"Talk politely," said Erwin, with a patient air of a mother explaining the importance of brushing teeth before bedtime to her overly hotheaded preschooler, "talk without referring to anyone with insulting names, belittling their manners of speaking, and vilifying about their plush lifestyle in inner wall."

"You're asking for miracles."

"I'm only asking you to act obsequiously toward these people."

"Don't drag me down to your level," said Levi peevishly. The repulsive wince on his face might suggest that Erwin had ordered him to do felony beyond moral. "I won't stoop to lick their ass."

"If it were not because of your feats as Humanity's Strongest Soldier that lifted up our name and reputation, I wouldn't even think about bringing a socially compromised individual like you for this occasion," Erwin reminded, still maintaining his commendable patience. "I'm sure you're aware that all of your actions tonight would be associated with Survey Corps."

"When you asked me to fight with Survey Corps because humanity needed my power, I never thought entertaining these damn filthy rich pigs was included in that term," Levi replied hotly. "You should be more specific with your order."

"There are many kinds of battlefields." Erwin came to a halt, turning to Levi, who looked away. "It could be outside or inside these walls. It could be a clash of swords or a battle of wits. Our enemies have always been non-humans, but we can't rule out the possibility to be up against fellow humans. And this" — he waved one of his hands to the crowded vicinity before casting a confident look to the mansion ahead — "is our fighting ground. If you want to win this fight, be a decent, sociable person for tonight. Do it for Survey Corps."

Levi threw a puzzled, sideways glance at Erwin, before inclining his head. "Fine, I'll try my best to not start a fight," he muttered. "Only if they don't get on my nerves."

It was not the answer that Erwin was hoping for, but the likelihood that Levi would try to raise his tolerance level a bit made him breath with more ease. The long stone steps ended at the glimmering water fountain in front of the mansion, where the guests had gathered to rendezvous with their compeers. Everything went perfectly fine (Erwin greeted some of his acquaintances and Levi stood awkwardly in the background, occasionally nodding his head every time Erwin introduced him to seemingly important people), until the noble, whom Erwin was talking to, mentioned the fatality rate of soldiers and all the troubles that Survey Corps had caused. This topic apparently attracted a few more nearby guests to join the conversation, and they chattered ingratiatingly about the hefty taxes they had to pay to sustain the expeditions. Erwin had been desensitized to this method of implicit insult so he wouldn't bother listening seriously to their degrading comments; he had heard far worse insults since his enrollment in Survey Corps. However, uttering all of those derogatory remarks in the presence of Levi was like poking a sleeping lion in the eye with a burning spear. He was trying so hard to remain apathetic, then failed to restrain his temper when an old lady began complaining about the latest expedition, in which she speculated the lack of real effort must be the main cause of failure.

"Maybe you better shut up before embarrassing yourself further," said Levi loudly, the chatter died away at once, all eyes now on Levi. "Your inane blathering makes less and less sense each time you open your mouth."

"My, my, aren't you an impertinent one, dear?" said the old lady haughtily, covering her mouth with her hand fan. "Even someone like me is starting to get annoyed."

"What a coincidence. I do feel the same way." Levi marched forward with an almost tangible bellicose vibe, glaring malevolently at all the interlocutors. "Your 'know-it-all' attitude is annoying as hell. I bet your pampered ass would never survive one minute in an expedition. You never step one foot outside the Walls, on what ground you dare judge how we do our job?"

All the nobles gasped and darted a disdainful glare in their direction, looking highly affronted as if Levi had offended their great-great-great-great aristocratic ancestors. Erwin cleared his throat and stared meaningfully at Levi, who had clearly forgotten all the advices about being sociable.

"Please do excuse his impudent remarks," said Erwin apologetically, in an attempt to reduce the tension before the arguments escalated into a fight. "Small talk is not his forte."

"Yes, because I'm simply one hell of an honest gentleman," said Levi in the most polite tone he was capable of, yet still sounded unimaginably harsh in the ears of decent people. "I prefer brutal truth than sugar-coated bullshit, but your sincere criticisms about the Survey Corps are unnecessary because I sure as hell am more capable of killing titans than you are. And to hell with your whining about losing money, the likes of pretentious rich bastards—"

"_Levi_," Erwin interrupted in strained voice, leaning to him, "why don't you check the wine inside? The best winery from Wall Sina is sponsoring this event. I think you may be interested in that," he continued, in a sharp tone that the drill sergeant always used to command trainees to start their daily training.

"It's great that you mentioned it," said Levi through tightly gritted teeth. "I'm glad to get away from this shitty nonsense." Then, with an expression of utmost execration, he turned around and stormed away.

Erwin turned to face all the audience, who were incandescent with rage. "I humbly ask that you please not think of him as representative of all soldiers of Survey Corps," he said with an apologetic smile.

It felt like Erwin had to apologize gazillion times until all the nobilities forgot the confrontation with Levi. He was saved from the torment of unending complaints when the bell rang, signaling the party was about to begin, and all the guests headed up the marble stone steps into the mansion.

"This is gonna be a long, tiring night," Erwin mumbled, checking his pocket watch. "I wonder where she is…"

Erwin climbed the steps, staring over the heads of the crowd to find the girl he was waiting for. Nanaba and Hange were waiting for him at the porch, the latter waving her hand excitedly at him.

"Oh, wow!" Hange gasped, pushing her spectacles to her nose bridge and staring at Erwin. "It's been ages since the last time I saw you in furlough, I've forgotten how handsome you are!"

"You both look very gorgeous," said Erwin, smiling. "Where is she?"

Nanaba pointed to Alex, who was standing far behind them near the marble pillar. At first, Erwin thought something was wrong with his eyesight when he saw her…donning the usual military uniform with the additional green trench coat. She looked like she was about to be summoned to a court-martial, with her flyaway hair and messy bangs brushed neatly, rather than being a guest to an upper-class party. Among the crowd of highly glamorous people, she seemed like a lost stray cat, staring pensively at the floor as if she was bored and would rather be anywhere in the world but here, both hands slipping inside her coat pocket. Alex finally looked up when she noticed Erwin had arrived and walked towards him.

"Before you chastise me and dock my wages," said Hange tiredly to Erwin, "I swear I tried very hard to make her beautiful but she refused to wear a gown."

"And this is the best you can do?" said Erwin darkly, utterly disappointed.

"We did everything we could," said Nanaba with an equally tired tone. "But we had to stop trying when she said she refuse to go and would rather accept the most agonizing punishment for insubordination in the history of military than wear a gown."

"Good evening, Commander," Alex greeted as she stood straight before him and gave a salute. "I believe you're disappointed with me."

"I was expecting to see you in more ladylike attire," said Erwin coldly.

"I'm not going to screw up your plan, if that's what you're thinking," said Alex in a level voice. "You want to show them how tough I am, then let them see me as a soldier. I'm still the same person who came back from outside world and lived to tell the tale even without pretty dresses."

Erwin gave her quizzical look, then smiled, looking quite satisfied with her rationale. "Very well. I'm looking forward to your cooperation. Now, shall we go inside?"

"You're going with Erwin?" asked Nanaba as Hange clutched Erwin's arm. "You said you need companion."

Hange smirked and jerked her head toward the steps. "Well, I need a girl companion for _him_."

Nanaba turned around and took a few steps back when she saw Mike was already standing behind them, looking very stunning in black tuxedo. Hange leaned her head on Erwin's shoulder, chortling so madly that people nearby looked at her in alarm.

"Good evening," Mike greeted then looked at Nanaba, a wide smile stretched his lips. "You look very beautiful tonight."

Nanaba had frozen solid on her feet; a pink shade slowly crept to her cheeks as she glared at Hange. "What is the meaning of this?"

Hange now chortling even louder, it seemed she couldn't catch a breath to speak.

"You tricked me," Nanaba guessed, slowly shaking her head. "And here I thought you were my friend…"

"I'm doing this because I'm your friend!" said Hange between her cackling. "Don't tell me you're not happy to see him looking awesomely charming like this!"

"This is not a laughing matter," said Nanaba, her face had turned as red as her gown. "Erwin, don't tell me you're in this too," she added suspiciously, seeing Erwin clearing his throat, which might have been him hiding his smirk with his fist.

"I'm totally innocent," said Erwin.

"I know you're involved," said Nanaba accusingly. "You're the one who give us orders to attend this party."

"I have nothing to do with this," said Erwin with a faintly noticeable smirk, leering at Hange, who was gasping for air. "This is her idea. She said Mike would need a companion so I let her choose. I didn't know it would be you."

"Oh, I'm very convinced you didn't know what she was scheming," said Nanaba in a very sarcastic tone.

"No need to get angry, I mean well by planning this," said Hange, patting Nanaba consolingly on the shoulder. "As your friend, I care about you. I guess you two deserve an intimate moment together, without the whole legion spreading wild rumors." She winked at Mike, pulling Erwin's arm and walking away. "Enjoy the party! The night's still young, though!"

"So," Mike began, outstretching a hand to Nanaba. "Will you go with me or not?"

"If you're conspiring with Hange you better confess right now," said Nanaba.

"Um… Miss, I think we better hurry. The party will start very soon."

Nanaba let out a little sigh, staring down and blinking repeatedly as though she just remembered that Alex was still standing beside her. "Everything you just saw, will you please kindly remove it permanently from your memories?"

Alex nodded, grinning. "Don't worry, I won't spread wild rumors."

"Thank you," said Nanaba in a hushed voice. "Will you, err…go after Hange and Erwin? I need to talk with him privately."

Alex departed quickly, leaving Nanaba and Mike to whatever business they had to settle, striding past people in haste toward Hange and Erwin, who were now standing beside the mahogany front doors into the entrance hall.

"Commander, what I should do in this party?" asked Alex.

"For now, just smile and greet everybody," said Erwin. "I'm sure the guests will want to hear your story, so do your best to entertain them."

"All right," said Alex. "That's…quite challenging for me," she muttered under her breath after.

"So, Commander," said Hange, as she and Erwin shuffled inside the entrance hall. "I mean, handsome and irresistibly hot Commander, what is our course of action?"

"We must determine our targets first, then proceed with a smooth introduction. We shouldn't reveal our main goal at the beginning of conversation, so don't talk too hastily about money—"

"Oh yeah, money! I need investors to build new trap for capturing—"

"No titan talking," Erwin warned abruptly. "I beg you. Levi almost ruined everything the moment he stepped a foot here."

"That makes me wonder…" Hange arched an eyebrow, staring skeptically at Erwin. "You bring Shorty for this important mission? What the heck are you thinking?"

"I want to civilize him, now I almost regret my life choices," Erwin admitted bitterly. "Don't make me regret my choice to bring you here."

"Jeez, chill out a bit," said Hange brightly. "Don't put me in the same league with that socially inept Shorty. I'm still perfectly capable to interact with human beings."

"Said the woman who spends most of her life with titans. I'm very assured."

"Trust me, I'm as sane as you. Tell me what to do."

Hange and Erwin were so immersed in their scheming that they didn't realize Alex had frozen on the threshold. She hesitated at the point of getting inside, peering warily to the entrance hall from the front doors. She was suddenly aware how stupid she was, blocking the way in and causing a long queue behind her. The guests started to stare at her, conversing in low, intense whispers while maintaining a certain distance. Feeling like her insides were quivering, Alex smoothed down the front of her coat, held her breath and hurriedly went past the doors.

The moment she set a foot into the entrance hall was like stepping on another planet.

It had been so long, she had forgotten how luxurious the life in the inner walls could be. Alex glanced to the hundreds of lighted candles on the chandeliers, to the grand marble staircase covered with a long red carpet, to the grandiose ornate walls and high vaulted ceilings with decorative paintings; no matter how vexed she was to be involved in this situation, she couldn't help admiring such splendor that etched in every corner of the hall. The great disparities between the life of nobles and commoners had stirred something in her memory. Though she was unwilling to recollect ancient history, an odd feeling eventually rose in her; the feeling of amazement mixed with incredulity like what she had felt when she first found out, that in the world that was so unforgiving, there were places where hopelessness, suffering and destitution couldn't touch.

Every head in the entrance hall turned to look at Alex as she walked past the swelling crowd. She kept her head up, looking straightforward and diligently avoiding eye contact with any of them. Being the center of attention like this made her feel like there were a thousand needles puncturing her skin; even so, she was struggling to brush it off and keep her composure.

_Calm yourself down, Alex._

Her desire to see the outside world was battling ferociously with her abhorrence towards the likes of them, and by them, she referred to the swarm of people in suits, who were talking with Erwin while staring at her like scavengers intent on a meal.

_Don't bite your tongue. Don't stutter. Remember the tricks._

Erwin glanced at her, gesturing her to come closer. For a split second, Alex had an unrelenting impulse to turn around and run away… Her heart racing, palms sweating, the panic building up inside her as she trod and gave the warmest smile possible.

_Stand up straight. Chin high. Talk politely. Just swallow everything they'll say to you. Commend them as much as you can, like those old days…_

She had lost count of how many times she had recited her story, as a result, the words were flowing out of her mouth like a waterfall. But before she had finished, more people had gathered around, they rounded on Alex like a pack of hungry wolves, and Alex had to start all over again. By the end of the her long story, some of her listeners were perplexed, some frowned and shook their heads in disbelief, but most of them beamed at her, clearly wonderstruck, and was full of praise and cheers for her.

"Thank you very much, for saying so, sir," said Alex courteously, slightly inclining her head. "Your praises overwhelm me."

_This is so loathsome._

"The moment I heard about you, I really wanted to hire you for my estate," boomed a bald, fat old man, eyes glinting with excitement. "What do you say, lass? You can start to work next week! I can give you a salary more than you'll ever get in your legion."

With an enormous effort, Alex twitched her lips in falsely sweet smile. "I'm deeply honored to receive such a generous opportunity. But I'm terribly sorry, Commander Erwin may not like the idea of me retiring from the Survey Corps too early."

_Has it ever crossed your delusional brain that this universe doesn't revolve around you and your property? Why are you always so full of yourself?_

"You should have joined Military Police," said the other man, bending a little to get a closer look at Alex. "You have the talent, it can be used for the protection of the King, and also the interior needs such competent young soldier like you, to clean the streets of criminals. I can't stop worrying thieves will break into my house anytime now, after what Military Police has become…"

Those who had been frowning now nodded in agreement, and went on complaining about recently inflating crime rates. Alex maintained the smile on her face while listening to their rambling speeches.

_Filthy scum with huge egos. All they think about is their personal gain… _

"Serving The King may have been the greatest honor I could imagine," said Alex in placatory voice, "and I do believe the Military Police has been trying their best to apprehend the criminals. As much as I want to help, my talent is far more useful outside the walls."

"I guess it's time for the main event," Erwin interrupted. "Gentlemen, please do excuse us. Have a very great night."

Alex walked away from the crowd of fascinated onlookers and followed Erwin toward the end of the hall. Hange was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking very thrilled.

"And that," said Erwin to Hange with a content smile, "is how you butter them up."

"That's splendid!" said Hange, grinning at Alex. "All right, I'll try my luck."

"Is it okay to let Squad Leader Hange go alone?" said Alex, watching Hange glide away. "She could scare our potential sponsors once she starts talking about her research."

"Let her be, she knows the drill," said Erwin. "I didn't expect you to be so well-mannered like that."

"Like I said, I won't screw this up. When I'm done greeting everybody, may I be excused and return to Headquarter, sir?"

"Why the hurry?"

Alex opened her mouth to answer, but words failed to escape as if something had clogged her throat.

"Are you okay?" asked Erwin, swooping down to look her in the eyes.

"Yes, I'm okay, sir — it's just —" said Alex anxiously, staring down to avoid his icy blue eyes and sweeping a hand across the forehead to get rid of the sweat. "Nothing… Let's… meet all the guests."

They set off up the marble staircase together, proceeding to second floor. Everything in the entrance hall was nothing compared to what Alex saw inside this spacious, dazzling ballroom.

"Erwin," called a bald, old man from the crowd. "Finally, you came." He wore a black suit with a purple bolo tie hung around his neck, face reddened, with a half-empty glass of wine in his left hand.

"Commander Pixis," said Erwin, shaking hands with him. "I see you already consumed more liquor than your usual daily dosage."

"I'm on day off, don't tell me to hold back," said Pixis, gulping the wine down to its last drop. "Hmm, this booze is really top-shelf."

"The Commander of the Garrison, in charge of Southern Region, Dot Pixis," said Erwin to Alex then turned to Pixis. "And this soldier is—"

"I know, I know, I've heard too much about her." Pixis gave a nod to Alex, smirking. "Of all military branches, Survey Corps got the finest cadet, eh? Promotion and outstanding new soldier, your luck is so great this year, Erwin. You should introduce her to Arthur, by the way, he is really interested with her."

"Vice Commander is here?" asked Erwin.

"Yes, he's over there, just arrived with her daughter a moment ago," said Pixis, jerking his head. "I gotta hide from my fussy subordinate. She'll confiscate my flask forever if she knows I'm drinking too much." He gave Erwin a gentle tap on the shoulder then disappeared in the swelling crowd.

Erwin led Alex to the direction Pixis had appointed. It was packed of people, but the jabbering crowd automatically parted to let them through once they saw Alex, who was intonating _'ignore them, ignore them, ignore them' _inside her head.

"Erwin! It's been a very long time!" a middle-aged man called from ahead of them, forcing his way through the throng. He was lean and tall, looking remarkably muscular and athletic although there were streaks of grey in his blonde hair and deep wrinkles on his face had detracted most of his great good looks.

"Yes, Milord," said Erwin pleasantly. "My uttermost gratitude for your invitations. Words are not enough to express how grateful I am for your help."

The old man hugged Erwin like a son then quickly broke apart. "Not a problem, Erwin, not a problem at all," he said warmly, beaming at Erwin. "Thank goodness, you look fine and healthy."

"I'm very glad to see you fine and healthy as well," said Erwin. "Milord, allow me to introduce the newest soldier of Survey Corps. I believe you've heard about her."

"The Soldier Who Lived?" The old man rolled his blue eyes to Alex.

"This is Earl Arthur von Wildenberg," Erwin told Alex. "He is the Vice Commander of Garrison, in charge of Elite Squad, and also an heir of House of Wildenberg."

"Alexandra Ritter, at your service," said Alex, flung herself into a low bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Milord."

"Well, well, I'm delighted to finally meet the renowned soldier who stole the headline on newspapers," said Arthur enthusiastically. "Such a shame I didn't see the fight myself, but my men told me it was the greatest fight they ever saw in their lifetime."

"Sir, that's too much of exaggeration for a Cadet like me," said Alex humbly, straightening up. "I'm still an inexperienced soldier and still have so much to learn."

"Is that so?" said Arthur. "Actually, my daughter had told me a lot about you. She said you are the best in your class, excel in everything, instructors' favorite trainee — I think she really admires you."

"Your daughter, sir?" said Alex, perplexed, wondering whom he was talking about. "Pardon me, Milord, I'm afraid you have made a mistake. I don't recall being acquainted to a member of the nobility or —"

"Hi there!"

A cheerful, familiar voice cut the conversation. Alex turned to the owner of the voice. A young blonde woman in a light blue gown was standing behind her; a woman of such ethereal beauty that everything in the whole ballroom seemed to have become strangely brighter when she walked in. She was tall, slender and appeared to radiate an enthralling aura that made anyone who had set eyes on her become temporarily speechless, like what Alex did.

"I presume you have met my father, Alex," said the woman. She faced Erwin, spreading her gown and dropping an elegant curtsy. "It's such a great pleasure to meet you here, Commander Erwin." She smiled and extended a hand decorated with jewelries.

Erwin bowed at her. "Honored, to meet you here, Milady," he said, grasping her hand and kissing it. "You look as beautiful as always," he added as he straightened up.

"Thank you, Commander," she said, her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Although, I must utter my deepest apology for causing you to see such an unsightly appearance of mine when I was cleaning your office yesterday."

Alex was concentrating very hard to identify her familiar voice, but the bizarre conversation that took place in front of her had caused her brain to freeze in the process. She looked at the woman, and then at Erwin, then stared intently at the woman again, trying to comprehend what they were talking about.

"Please, don't feel bad about it, Milady, I don't mind," said Erwin, who seemed to be restraining a chuckle with difficulty. "My fireplace hasn't been cleaned in a long time. I believe it must be a very difficult chore to wipe all the ashes away."

"But, I had caused more trouble than helping, right?" said the woman sadly. "Captain Levi always berates me, saying my work is the most appalling—" she stopped abruptly, glancing at Alex with a mildly amused expression. "Alex…how long are you going to stare at me like that?"

The realization hit Alex like a hurricane the moment she gazed deeply into the woman's eyes — bright aquamarine color that she always saw everyday. Alex leapt backward in shock, her mouth falling open.

"_Sophie?!_" Alex shrieked incredulously.

"Oh my, so silly of you," said Sophie with a tinkling laugh. "Took you long enough to recognize me."

Alex, still recovering from her shock, rubbed her eyes and looked at her again; she didn't look like Sophie at all. Her hair was no longer styled in the usual tight braid; it fell loose to her waist like a sheet of golden silk, straight and glossy. She was holding herself differently, with grace and prestige, far from her tomboyish demeanor as a soldier — or maybe it was because of the absence of sweat, dirt and tortured expression she always wore on her angelic face while commencing the daily drills.

"Erwin, I'm sorry if my daughter had caused you so much trouble," said Arthur. "I'm afraid she will be a burden to your legion."

"I must admit her skills with household chores need serious improvement," said Erwin encouragingly, smiling at Sophie, "but I guarantee her performance as soldier will be very satisfying. Graduating in the top ten rank of her class, that is a very laudable achievement."

"Boot camp is nothing compared to real battlefield," said Arthur dismissively. "You know her well. She tends to get emotional in several occasions. She will crack under pressure, even if she tries to be unaffected—"

"Father, we've been through this about a hundred times already," said Sophie pettishly. "Please stop making me look bad in front of my superior. What if Commander Erwin changes his mind and pulls my name from the list of expedition?"

"You will go outside the Walls?! Already?!" Arthur exclaimed, his face turning ashen.

"Of course I will," said Sophie proudly. "To be honest with you, I can't wait to kill my first titan."

"You should reconsider that idea," said Arthur hastily to Erwin. "She's still a Cadet? Don't you think it's a bit too early to enlist her for an expedition?"

"I understand your worries regarding her safety. Do not be afraid, Milord, Milady Sophie is one of the promising new cadets in the Survey Corps. She has the competence to carry out the mission."

"But still, she's a cadet, she's inexperienced," Arthur insisted, his pallid face shining with sweat. "I don't mean to boast, but after everything I've done, I just wish you could do me a favor—"

"I have not forgotten my debt to you," said Erwin in an extremely polite interruption, inclining his head in a little bow, "and all your generosity for the last decade, however, with all due respect, her ladyship's duty as a soldier is a complete separate issue."

Sophie sighed and rubbed her temple. "This is not gonna end soon, let's find a quiet place to talk," she whispered to Alex. "Father, can I borrow Alex for a few minutes?"

Without waiting for her father's approval (he still debated with Erwin and seemed like he wasn't listening to her at all), Sophie scurried through swarm of people while holding Alex's hand. There was another huge wave of turning heads towards them, but instead of gawping at Alex, people, noticeably all the young men, were gazing longingly at Sophie.

"Is there anything I could help you with, Milady?" said Alex in a voice of forced calmness, as they retreated to the corner of the ballroom.

Sophie giggled. "Now, now, don't act like a stranger! Let's dispense with the formalities, shall we?"

"Pardon me, Milady," Alex continued, her tone didn't change, "but a humble commoner like me has to know her place for speaking a bit too freely in a presence of a _noble_."

The cold emphasis on her last word made Sophie flinch, her smile sliding off her face.

"I'm sure I owe you explanation —"

"_Lots _of explanation," said Alex crossly. "Sophie Aumont is a lie, isn't it? I dare say your hometown is not Quinta District, unless there is also a place called Quinta District inside Wall Sina."

"Are you…angry with me?" asked Sophie cautiously.

"You've been fooling me all this time!" said Alex shrilly. "You — you are — an heiress?! Seriously?!"

"Yes, I am. My real name is Sophie von Wildenberg."

"And you've been… sleeping… under my bunk for three years…" Alex continued in a low, stupefied tone, rubbing her forehead as if having headache. "My bunkmate is an heiress… I need a moment to accept this absurdity…"

"It's almost as unbelievable as your story, it is not?" Sophie mumbled. "I'm deeply sorry for hiding the truth from you… I'll explain everything, but this is just between us, okay?"

"Very well," Alex agreed without a second thought. "What's your story?"

"I was born in Mitras from House Wildenberg, the one and only child. Long story short, since the day I was born, my fate had been sealed. My mother raised me to be a perfect heiress, with too many nonsensical expectations I had to fulfill. In the end I grew weary of my upbringing, and I didn't have many choices in my life, either I marry a nobleman and continue to live within Wall Sina, or marry a commoner and move to the countryside in the outer wall. So, I made the third option."

"Become a rebellious daughter, run away from home and join the military?" Alex suggested. "Well done, most of nobles did that too when they had a row with their mothers."

"I'm not that seditious!" said Sophie with a small titter. "I only went behind my mother's back, and my father backed me up, covering most of the plan to smuggle me into military boot camp. I didn't want people to recognize me, so I took Mother's maiden name and changed my hometown to Quinta District — her hometown, actually, she was a commoner so that wouldn't be a problem. No surprise my parents had a row when Mother figured it out, thankfully it didn't last too long. Oh, the first time Mother heard about it, she fainted — as I expected — she thought I was attending a boarding school or something."

"Funny your father didn't look very pleased with your enrollment."

"Oh no, Father supported my enrollment, at first, but he became extremely upset with my decision to join Survey Corps, saying I'm a foolish maiden to not aimed for MP, but why should I?" Sophie wrinkled her nose as if the thought of being an MP gave her nausea. "I've lived my whole life inside Wall Sina. The Garrison is ridiculously boring — don't tell Father I said that. The Survey Corps, on the other hand, is way more interesting," she added with a longing sigh. "Being a scout is my dream. Always have been, always will be."

"You dreamt to be a scout?" asked Alex, completely nonplussed. "What an absurd dream for such a rich girl, while most of trainees dream to join Military Police to have comfortable life in the inner walls."

"I didn't choose to be born as a noble," said Sophie in a dignified voice, "but I can choose my dream, I can choose anything I want to do."

"Truer words have never been spoken," said Alex solemnly. "What happened in Commander's office yesterday?"

"Oh, that… I was cleaning his fireplace…" Sophie began reluctantly. "I — well — I have, like, ten fireplaces in my manor, but no one ever told me how to remove the ashes! So I crawled inside, trying to scoop all the soot at once, it went horribly awry. I sneezed and coughed and swallowed a mouthful of ashes, I had been stupid to not expect that happening — next thing I knew, I was covered in soot, then he suddenly walked in" — she caught her breath, looking gravely ashamed — "oh dear Sina… he laughed at me like I was the most hilarious thing he ever saw in his lifetime," she finished in a horrified sort of voice.

Alex snorted with laughter. "I'd probably laugh my ass off too, if I were him. You're acquainted with Commander?"

"Of course, my family has been in close contact with the Survey Corps for years, my parents especially. By the way" — she darted a reproachful look at Alex — "what in the name of Sina are you wearing?!"

"I'm here on duty."

"You should be enjoying yourself. You need to loosen up a bit, Alex. Have some fun!"

"Fun? I hate this place," said Alex irritably. "I don't want to be here."

"I don't want to be here either," Sophie huffed, readjusting the gold bangles at her wrists. "If Commander Erwin hadn't asked me to come, I wouldn't be here tonight. I'm on duty too, you know."

"So you knew about our fall out," Alex concluded. "How come? It's top-secret."

"Commander Erwin told me about it a few days after the last expedition, asking for my help to gain as many sponsors as possible in this event — my family is a very influential House so I think that would be a cinch. But I can't stand those idiots..."

"Idiots? Who?"

"_Them_." Sophie rolled her eyes to a large group of young noblemen. "Those good-for nothing, spoiled brats. I really hate them. They're so annoying! Tailing me around, trying to impress me, always craving for my — oh no, here they come! I'll see you later after the party!"

Sophie dashed away to the opposite direction from her incoming fan club, her golden mane swinging behind her. Alex roamed the ballroom to look for her superiors: Erwin was still conversing with Sophie's father, who now wore an expression of complete resignation, he had apparently run out of sensible excuses to change Erwin's mind; Hange was not in sight; afar from her, Mike and Nanaba were enjoying a glass of champagne and chatting animatedly, both seemed to have taken Hange's words deeply to their hearts.

"Look at her… She's wearing her military uniform…"

"Ah, the soldier from newspapers, right?"

"Who would have guessed she was so small."

"And she fights titans with that physique?"

"She doesn't look too strong."

Alex shot irritated glances at the murmuring guests, wondering how long she had to continue feigning hospitality towards them. She was fighting her way back to Erwin when she caught a glimpse of someone familiar.

On the other side of the hall, Levi was standing near a wide window, arms folded, looking at his surroundings with a murderous look in his eyes as if he would punch the face of anyone who dared to get any closer to him. It almost looked like there was an invisible barrier that repelled everyone within a fifteen meters radius from him. Ignoring all the explicit hostilities, Alex marched to his side.

"Captain Levi!" said Alex a bit too exuberantly. "I didn't know you were coming too, sir."

Levi looked at her up and down. "Titans are not invited to this party," he said flatly. "Four-eyes didn't pass you the memo?"

"I'm a soldier, I refuse to wear pretty dresses," said Alex, leaning against the wall beside him. "Sir, you don't seem too comfortable here."

"The same goes to you," said Levi, keeping his gaze fixed on Alex. "Have you seen your face before coming here? It looks like you're having an agonizing diarrhea and want to get the hell out of here very soon."

"This sort of thing doesn't interest me. Of course I want to get out of here if I could."

"This is wasting time." Levi stared blankly to the noisily chattering people. "Social convention like this is downright stupid. When will this shitty nuisance end?"

"Probably around midnight, could be a couple hours after midnight if the host wants to hold an after party," Alex answered in her dreamy voice, gazing vaguely at the floor. "I believe the dance will start soon, after the host gives the opening speech or something like that. The dance will take hours since it's the main event, then the guests will have dinner in the banquet hall until—"

"You sure know a lot," Levi cut in, rapidly turning his head, gazing at Alex with bewilderment. "_How _do you know?"

"Oh — well, I —" Alex sputtered, trying to come up with a quick answer. "I just, know — I mean, it's a common knowledge — and I had read about it somewhere before."

Her answer apparently didn't satisfy Levi, because his eyes were squinted with suspicion, but he didn't pursue the subject further. Seconds stretched to minutes of tedious silence between them. Alex's overall mood ranged from intense indifference to annoyed boredom, on the contrary, the ballroom grew steadily merrier.

"Sir, do you want to get some fresh air outside?" asked Alex. "It's very boring here."

"Shouldn't you help Erwin to kiss their ass?" said Levi.

Under the glowing chandelier, Erwin was holding a very lively conversation with swarm of gentlemen in fancy suits; his companions seemed very interested to listen to him.

"Commander doesn't look like he needs help with that yet," said Alex.

Both of them headed to the balcony, which was quiet and less crowded, and the spectacular scenery met their eyes. It was impossible to feel anything but tranquility in a place that covered itself in pure beauty. The night was cloudless, perfect for the stars to shine their brightest sparkles. The calm surface of the lake mirrored the wondrous sky as though shimmering pearls were scattered at its depths. The flower garden was brightly lit by torches, and the viewpoint from the balcony gave a full sight of how the rosebushes, hedges, flower beds, ornamental stone paths and large statues were perfectly designed and arranged to bring out the utmost aesthetic feels. The breeze whispered softly, swaying the treetops of beech and oak trees at the edge of the lake.

"It's so beautiful here," Alex commented, staring at the smoothly rippling lake reflecting the moonlight. "And very peaceful."

Levi rested his arms on the balustrades, staring blankly at the garden, looking clearly unimpressed. "Peaceful like a paradise, huh?"

"But even a paradise seems like a prison when you can see its walls."

"These damn swine don't even see the walls," said Levi scornfully. "Prosperity and wealth have made them blind. Their eyesight is limited to the kind of frivolous things they want to see. Do they watch soldiers die in missions while the interior squabbles over insignificant affairs or petty politics? Do they see the huge discrepancy between the rich and poor? They're trapped inside this paradise and can't see the reality right behind these walls."

"I always thought all nobles are always full of self-importance and greed, until a moment ago," said Alex, musing about the absurdity of her bunkmate's real identity. "Now I know one among the nobility who isn't a bad person."

"There are the ones who genuinely want to support the legion, I have no idea what kind of ass-pull tricks Erwin used to secure strong connections with them. There are also the ones — more accurately, unscrupulous assholes — who don't seem to understand the bigger picture. Instead of contributing, they sit around on their throne and bitch and moan and waste their money on unimportant things, like this mansion." Levi looked around with a very ugly look on his face. "The minds of the rich, I'll never understand."

"People do what they desire to fulfill their best interests, it's only natural. Just because they can, doesn't mean they have the desire to help."

"I don't give a damn if they don't want to help, but I'll beat them to a pulp if they start to speak badly about the soldiers who have fallen."

His venomous tone made Alex tear her gaze from the beautifully-trimmed flower beds. She tilted her head to Levi, even under the pale moonlight, it was clear for her to see his face contorted in dreary, suppressed rage for a brief split second. Levi looked into the distance, it seemed like he was determined to act calm and collected, but his quivering fists on the balustrades and his tensed jawline had failed to fool Alex, who found it exceptionally weird for someone who had an unemotional disposition like him to be very furious and agitated.

"Captain, what is humanity?" asked Alex out of blue. "Why do we fight for them? Who are the people we're sworn to protect anyway?"

"That's something you should find the answer on your own. Everyone has their own reason to fight."

"Whom are you fighting for? What is your reason to fight?"

After a short pause, Levi said, "Finding the answers to those questions is one of the few reasons why I'm still alive."

"Do you believe we can eradicate titans? Do you think humans will walk freely outside the Walls someday?"

They stood in silence for what seemed like a long time.

"I don't know," he said in a husky voice, his tone was incredibly bitter as if he hoped he could answer differently. "I can't answer those. I don't have the answers."

Alex paused to examine his features closely, and said, "If you're that hesitant with what you're doing then why do you keep fighting?"

"Will I live long enough to find out the answers or will I fight till I die, I don't know. But I know Erwin believes wholeheartedly in a future where humanity is free, and I believe in him. If he orders me to fight, then I will. It's as simple as that."

"So, everything goes back to Commander Erwin," said Alex with an unfocused smile. "It seems like everybody trusts him very much."

"Why are you asking these questions?" asked Levi, turning to face Alex, sounding mildly annoyed.

"Just the curiosity of a new soldier." Alex shrugged, looking at the lake again. "I still don't understand a lot of things about Survey Corps, especially regarding all the fuss about humanity—"

Her voice was drowned by a booming sound of music; it was shrill, upbeat and cheery melodies. Alex turned around and watched people waltzing with gleaming eyes, one foot jiggling, her head bobbing in time to the music. After a few minutes, tumultuous applause filled the hall as the last note faded away.

"You have that look again," Levi commented.

Alex glanced at him, still clapping her hands vigorously. "What look?"

"The same annoying excited look you had on your face when you talking about titans with four-eyes," he stated acidly. "Go inside and dance."

"Then I need a partner for that…" Alex mumbled, looking at him entreatingly. "Captain Levi, will you —"

"No."

"I haven't finished yet."

"Don't you even dare ask me to dance with you," said Levi stoutly. "Ask someone else."

"Okay then…" said Alex sadly. "But in this situation, I guess no one will approach a girl in military uniform—

"That's your fault."

"—famous for killing titans—"

"That's your job."

"—and I don't know anyone else in this party. So—"

"That's not my fucking problem."

"—will you please dance with me?"

"Hell no," spat Levi. "Didn't you hear what I just said?!"

"This opportunity comes once in a lifetime," said Alex, not giving up to persuade him. "I really want to try it just once. Please, Captain? It won't hurt anyone."

"If you're trying to piss me off, it's working," Levi hissed, walking away.

"All I ask is one song," said Alex pleadingly, following him closely. "Just one song and I promise I'll —"

Alex gasped, regretting her nagging almost immediately. Levi whipped around and cornered her to the edge as though he was intending to push her off the balcony. He leaned forward and glared at her, a glare so deep it made her heart shrivel in fear.

"One song," said Levi menacingly, pointing a finger at her face, "and you'll stop giving me headache for the rest of the night."

Without further ado, Levi pulled Alex after him into the ballroom.

"Sir!" Alex squeaked, trying to let go of his hand. "I want to dance in _balcony_! Not here!"

He kept pulling her past the other pairings, until they stood in the middle of the dance floor, facing each other.

"Captain!" Alex whispered frantically. "Everybody is looking at us!"

"Everybody is looking at you," Levi corrected her. "Take my hand."

Alex raised a hand and pulled it back hastily, her eyes glancing around. "I-I-I t-think, this a b-bad idea —"

"Do you want to dance or not?" snapped Levi impatiently, still holding out his hand.

Trembling, Alex finally took his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. Her heart did a back flip when he took her waist.

"Relax," Levi whispered, grasping her hand, "ignore them. Keep your eyes on me."

The music played again with much slower tempo, starting serenely with soft vibrato from a solo violin. Alex looked up to meet his piercingly gray eyes, and somehow, in a way that she couldn't really understand, his presence gave her comfort. The shivering in her hands had ceased; the patronizing stares from the people no longer pricked her skin because it felt like there were only the two of them on the dance floor.

To her great surprise, Alex finally realized that this place was not as horrible as she always thought.

* * *

**A/N: I don't have writer's block. I just went through a lot of series of unfortunate events, one of them was I accidentally broke my wrist during holiday. Nothing serious, but typing with one hand is so goddamn frustrating I want to throw my laptop out of the window multiple times. But I did, write, this entire chapter, with one hand, the struggle was real... Honestly, not a single day had passed without me thinking about this fanfiction.  
Anyway, this and the next chapter will be a massive info dump, so please bear with me.****  
Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated! Please feel free to send PM if you want to drop a line, or say hi, or talk about writing.**

**REVAMPED: 13 November 2015**

**lilnightmare17: I hope me went AWOL doesn't decease your curiosity about Alex X( I give a little insight about her mind in this chapter, it might useful to help you understand her sudden changing demeanor.**

**KasukeHagase: Thank you very much for your review! :D Your questions will be answered in chapter 10 and 11, where I'll tell a little about her backstory ;)**

**Dead Horizon: It's a long wait, but here ya go! :D**

**xMidnightVixenx: Whoa! Thank you so much! XD I'm painfully aware my proofreading skill is dreadful and my chapters are long, so... it can't be helped (/_;) but I'll revamp earlier chapters ASAP.  
About Levi and Hange... I have my reasons why I wrote them that way.  
The canon shows how close, loyal, and respectful they are towards each other (shipping goggles aside, I think they're canonically brOTP), but that kind of bond doesn't build up in one night. So, how was their relationship before canon? How did their personalities affect their relationship? I've been thinking very long and very hard about how to portray their dynamics, because my story takes place five years before canon, roughly one year after ACWNR, which I believe, Levi and Hange's initial relationship was very different with what we read in canon.  
Here come my speculations (I could be wrong, tho): professionally, they worked together just fine, they acknowledged each other's authority and abilities as soldiers, but on personal level they didn't get along very well. I have a hunch that Levi might dislike Hange at first because of their polar opposite personalities. Levi post-ACWNR was a former notorious criminal with trust issue, who likely had difficulties adapting himself to military lifestyle, probably suffered from survivor's guilt based on the OVA. canon!Hange obviously has anger management problem, it could be argued that she isn't 100% emotionally stable, and her initial reactions to certain things are exaggerated to a harmful extent (ex: choking Oluo, almost dropping Nick from the wall, flipping table, berating Keith) but she quickly comes back to her senses; I reckon her outbursts were far worse in her younger days, especially when something got in the way of her studies (I think she's obsessed with finding the truth about titan, not the titan itself).  
Put them together, and voila!, they could easily misunderstand each other's doings, they had frictions and they argued a lot. In short, they didn't interact like in canon merely because their relationship hadn't reach the level of mutual understanding and trust, at this point of my story. I choose a few aspects of their incompatible personalities, and exaggerate those traits as what I believe how strangers will interact in that given circumstances. So, yeah, they both were OOC compared to what they are in canon, but in very likely and understandable levels in this timeline (again, I could be wrong).  
Their relationship will eventually improve in future chapters, Hange's influences are important to Levi's character growth after all, and vice versa. I agree I need to turn down Hange's snarky level a bit :P she should break a bone next time she gets angry XD  
Thank you for your critiques! Hope my semi-meta explanation's satisfying, if it's not, feel free to give me suggestions anytime :)**

**Anime fan: actually, this fanfiction has OCs, with plot and several arcs and a handful of veterans' antics ;p**

**Akilarup: Awww! Thank you for your reviews! Those really made my day XD  
****Well, I must admit nothing interesting really happened in this arc, since it serves purposes to introduce OCs, set a foundation for future arc and scatter foreshadowing here and there. My chapters are always long, idk why, it just happened, but I want to develop my OCs and canon characters into three-dimensional, or at least two-dimensional characters, so yeah, it will a take a lot of writing and long chapters. Tbh, what I've written up until this point is less than 10% of the entire story, as the plot progresses, everything will be explained and I'll show that Alex is not a Mary Sue :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Attack on Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 8**

They said the greatest hunter was the one who had cornered the prey even before they were aware of the hunter's presence. Lurking from the shadows, approaching with stealth, planning the ambush and setting up a trap without leaving a single trace were just basic skills of the art of hunting. In more advance level, an experienced hunter blended among the prey, disguising himself as one of them, watching and waiting until the right moment to blow the fatal attack. Though considered risky and possesses a high failure rate, camouflage was the most convenient method for the hunter to lure the prey a little closer, lowering their guard, trapping them into the false sense of security so they couldn't perceive the danger even though the sharp and poisoned swords had been pointed straight at them. In the end, the prey lay dead at his feet without them even knowing what had hit them in the first place.

And Erwin Smith, by his mastery in the art of hunting, was definitely the best hunter inside the Walls.

His prey — the delighted noblemen in sumptuous suits — were having an animated conversation around him. Erwin had been watching their habits for years so he knew very well the tricks to deal with them: excessive sweet words of flattery laced with irresistible persuasions would convert their haughty conscience from skepticism to absolute acceptance. Smooth talk was one of his fortes; he could raise the morale of his entire squad to keep going to combat titans even in the most desperate situation with his eloquent speech, enticing selfish humans like them was a mere child's play for him. Erwin took a sip from the glass; the taste of finely aged wine was as satisfying as the sweetness of his triumph when the last nobleman had fallen into his inescapable trap.

_Checkmate._

"Well, well, Commander Erwin," said the Baron, scribing a long signature on the parchment. "I must say I'm impressed by the future prospect of your legion. Never knew you had made such constructed plans for next years, I thought you succeeded the highest rank just recently."

"I've planned it in advance, long before my promotion," said Erwin with the most humble tone of voice he was capable of.

"Excellent, excellent" commented the Baron with a most pleased expression. "I understand why you're chosen to be Commander."

"And that new soldier," continued the next nobleman, also signing the parchment, "even the Military Police doesn't have a recruit as talented as that lass. Those incompetent soldiers should be ashamed of themselves, neglecting their duty because of booze and boodle, the head of the MP should learn something from you."

"Thank you, Milord." Erwin received the scroll with his wine-free hand, bowing courteously. "I'm deeply grateful for your generosity to the Survey Corps. Your contributions mean a lot to humanity."

One by one, they shook hand with Erwin, wishing him good fortune for the next expedition, then went off. Erwin placed his empty glass wine on a tray held by a waiter and looked at the parchment with a self-satisfied smirk; a few signatures scratched neatly on the top, a good starter for this long and tiring night.

"Now, now, where is she?" Erwin muttered.

The dance was going to start very soon, about time to commence the next step of his grand plan. Most of the guests had paired up and strode to the center of the ballroom. Erwin was searching for his dance partner among the people when a certain man caught his attention. The man made his way toward him, arms folded, staring at his collar with a cold expression.

"I thought you'd get that in the end," he said, not with amazement, but rather, with an icy accusatory tone as if he was certain Erwin had committed premeditated murder to the previous owner of the bolo tie.

"Good evening, Nile," said Erwin, smiling and offering a handshake. "Good to see you again."

Nile Dok gave him another cold look before reaching out his hand for a split second handshake. "What are you doing here, Erwin?"

"I'm invited to this party," Erwin answered matter-of-factly.

His answer made Nile contract his furrow. "Bringing your subordinates to this kind of occasion is very unlikely of you. The girl from the newspaper is here, isn't she? And I saw that sick psychopath in the entrance hall, terrorizing and chasing after the guests like a mad wolf on the loose. I wouldn't be surprised if the guards have arrested her right now."

Erwin could visualize the disturbing scene quite clearly in his mind; he imagined the so-called 'sick psychopath' babbling incoherently about the development progress of her special trap for capturing titans, her latest groundbreaking discovery about titan's behavioral patterns and some of her screwiest theories on how and why titans could move at night, none of which made the slightest sense to her listeners so they started running for their dear life. And all of sudden, the euphoria that surged in every particle of his body after finally getting a few supporters was thoroughly washed away by a tsunami of regret.

"She means no harm to people, she's...just stubbornly passionate about her job and research," said Erwin, making a mental note to dock her wages in the next budgeting meeting. "Despites her eccentricities, she's one of my best subordinates and an excellent combatant."

"She wouldn't be here if it was not because of your order," Nile guessed, the strained looks on his face might suggest that he was in the middle of interrogating a serial killer. "What are you planning now?"

"Why does everyone always think I have ulterior motives?"

"Because you _always_ have ulterior motives," Nile accused. "I've been watching you since you talked to Vice Commander Arthur and his daughter, then to the Barons and Viscounts from Orvud District… Now that I think about your actions, central government refused to grant the extra funds you need to commence the expedition…" He paused for a few seconds, his eyes trailing to the scroll in Erwin's hand. "Are you doing what I'm thinking you're doing?"

"Your hunch is completely accurate." Erwin slipped the scrolled parchment into his breast pocket. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure I don't violate any military ethic codes by asking for donation and support from the nobles."

"You certainly don't know when to give up," said Nile, his voice rising. "If the others know what you're doing—"

"They'll be furious," Erwin continued with a nod, "I understand their resentment toward me, but don't you think it's time for the Military Police and the Survey Corps to bury the hatchet and stick together?"

"You're wrong if you think I'll take sides with you just because we happened to know each other. I will just follow the orders from the brass."

"Could I take that as a commitment? If one day you're ordered to aid the Survey Corps, will you do it?"

"I don't see any possibilities of that happening," said Nile curtly.

"There will be moments in which following the order within a system doesn't have the equal meaning with doing the right thing."

Erwin's voice carried no hint of a taunt; it sounded just as courteous as the way he talked to the nobles, but Nile looked as if Erwin had punched him hard in the face.

"Are you saying I'm not doing my job?" said Nile, his nostrils flaring. "I'm aware the corruption within the MP is horrible! Do you really think I wasn't already making an effort to change that? We're talking about a broken system that has rooted for decades! Do you think I could repeal something like that overnight?"

"Oh no, I don't mean to doubt your leadership or criticize how bad the policemen are doing lately with that statement," said Erwin, still with the same politeness. "I'm sure you're doing your best to keep everything under control as the Commander of the Military Police, but I need you to stay objective. You could resent me all you want but don't let it cloud your judgment. If one day the Survey Corps suffer losses because of false accusation or acts of sabotage, I hope you could bring justice to the culprits, no matter what the higher ups might order or your peers might say. If you're fighting crime and upholding justice indiscriminately, then we remain on the same side."

For a long time, neither of them spoke, they just silently looked at each other as if competing in staring match. It seemed Nile couldn't think of anything to argue on this point, but he also didn't seem want to express his assent as though agreeing on something with Erwin was mortally humiliating for him.

"Remember what I just said," said Erwin, smiling thinly. "It's really good to meet you again. Please send my best regards to Marie."

"You've never changed a bit, even after all these years," said Nile in an undertone, whether he was upset or impressed was impossible to tell because he swiftly turned around and left.

Wondering about how thin the line between a good friend and stranger was, Erwin watched his back until he disappeared into the crowd. Erwin knew things would never get back as they used to be — he wasn't foolish enough to wish it would happen — but it still pained him to see how a man who once shared the same dream with him eventually standing on the opposite of the line, defying him more than anyone else, defying the dream that they could have pursued together…

Shaking his head, Erwin continued to find his dance partner. He caught a glimpse of her golden blonde hair, surrounded by a throng of hopeful-looking young noblemen; all of them seemed to be trying to get the girl's attention.

"Excuse me."

Erwin cut the long line, squeezing his way through the horde and standing behind the blonde girl.

"May I have the honor to dance with you, Milady?" he said, extending a hand.

Sophie Aumont turned around and glided toward Erwin, grasping his hand tightly. "Yes! The honor is mine, Commander Erwin!"

Erwin led her to the dance floor, away from her enraged fan club.

"You're very popular as always," Erwin commented.

"I almost threw up talking to them," said Sophie, clutching Erwin's arm. "For the Love of Sina, they never leave me alone. Thank you for saving me."

"You are very welcome, Milady. It's always a pleasure to help you."

"Commander, isn't it a bit weird for you to address your subordinate with honorifics?"

"I'm conversing with the fairest lady in the entire Wall Sina, not with my subordinate."

"Stop acting like we just knew each other yesterday," said Sophie stoutly. "Please drop the formalities."

Erwin opened his mouth to refuse but her enchanting gaze never failed to touch his soft side. He sighed in defeat, and said, "Very well, Sophie."

She smiled as they stood facing each other. "What took you so long anyway? I almost thought you forgot about our mission."

"Pardon me, I got caught up in a chitchat with an old friend," said Erwin. Not wanting to talk further about his old friend, he quickly changed the subject. "Lady Marianne isn't coming?"

"Evening prayer. She said she's looking forward to meet you very soon."

"It's been a long time since the last time I met her."

"Yes, very long," said Sophie tersely. "You've been very busy, right?"

He could be wrong, but he felt there was sarcasm in her voice. The crowd fell silent as the music boomed throughout the ballroom. Erwin bowed before her, which she replied with a graceful curtsy, and they began to dance.

"You knew I was graduating in the top ten?" Sophie asked.

"I heard the news, five of the top ten graduates from southern division joined the Survey Corps," said Erwin pleasantly. "Haven't read the files myself, but I'm sure one of them is you. That was a very commendable achievement."

"Oh, thank you!" she said, beaming widely. "I really worked hard for that. To tell you the truth, I wanted to run away on the first week of boot camp."

They spent a few minutes discussing about the life in the military academy enthusiastically. Jealous eyes were following them as they waltzed on the gleaming dance floor. Some young noblemen — whom Sophie had talked to before Erwin's abrupt interruption — darted looks of purest loathing at Erwin as if they wished for him to trip on banana peel and get a brain concussion.

"So, I assume you like being a soldier?" asked Erwin, after she had finished recounting her hellish third year training which included a nasty fall from 3DM Gear malfunction and several broken bones.

"Best decision of my life!" Sophie answered avidly. "I can't wait for the expedition!"

"And for that, we need to make this special operation successful."

"Agreed. I don't understand why Alex is here, though. You didn't tell me she was coming."

"Just additional ammunition, not that I doubt your charisma and influence. I feel safe to enter the battlefield with all that I've got."

"You don't have to do this, you know. Tell me how much money you need and —"

"I appreciate your offer and kindness," Erwin cut in, "but your parents have been too generous for the last decade."

"But I'm your subordinate!" she said, pursing her lips. "It's not an abuse of power. Why don't you want me to donate?"

"Because I know my plan is going to work," he replied confidently.

The music slowed down; the first song ended with a tumultuous applause from the crowd. The next song struck up with faster beat, more lively and cheerful, and they waltzed across the ballroom.

"Okay, here we go," said Sophie, her manner changed; it became more serious and business-like, "on your nine o'clock, Erwin, the man with a monocle near the open window and the lady beside him; that's his wife."

Sophie was muttering all the names of people from the nobility and pointing out their locations, while also gracefully pivoting and swaying in time to the music. Erwin was listening carefully; he barely recognized half of them.

"And the last one, the old lady on your four o'clock," said Sophie, jerking her head. "These are the people I'm sure will aid you without too much bargaining."

"Our target is twenty three nobles," Erwin recapitulated. "I don't think it's enough."

"Don't blame me, you're not very popular within the interiors to begin with," she said with a teasing smile.

"You don't have to say it out loud," said Erwin grimly. "Baron Cornelius Montgomery is very generous, he helped with our Headquarters renovation. How about him?"

"Hmm… I don't think it's a good idea," said Sophie tentatively. "He might talk nice and sweet in front of you but my father told me he always wished for the Survey Corps disbandment. I don't know why he helped with renovation though, he must be up to no good."

Quite taken aback with this new information, Erwin looked around to find familiar faces. "Well, how about Lord Jeremiah from House Millford?"

"Sweet Mother Sina, no!" Sophie whispered in a strained voice. "He's the biggest villain of Conservative!"

"He's one of the funders of this party."

"He's doing it to boost his reputation! He couldn't care less about donating or helping others!"

"He's the most successful businessman."

"He's a very greedy and sly trader! Rumors say he has bribed the MP's higher ups to conspire with him in illegal business!"

"He's exceedingly wealthy," said Erwin inconsequentially, ignoring everything she had said, "he owns the biggest winery in Wall Sina and has six businesses in different fields. I heard he has stakes in Berg Newspaper."

Sophie stared at him, her face freezing with bafflement. "Do you even have slightest idea how mad the Conservative at you since last year's incident? I'm sure they would hire a professional assassin to kill you in your sleep then put your head on silver plate — _I'm not joking!_" she added, her voice quivered in fear when she saw that his face was calm as ever. "You have to be very careful with them!"

"I know, it's very obvious they detest me with burning passion and pray for my death," said Erwin lightly, refraining from giving her the full details of last year's incident — they had sent out the most dangerous thug to assassinate him. "But I need all the money I can get."

Sophie cast him a disapproving look. "Fine, we'll try to talk to him, but blandishments won't — oh, Erwin! Look at them!" She chuckled gleefully. "Your seven o'clock, pretty cute, aren't they?!"

Erwin glanced over his shoulder, frowning, and it took him a few seconds before realizing what was going on over there. "My… How very…lovely."

Actually, the sight was very far from being 'cute' and 'lovely' was an obvious lie; maybe it was just Erwin's attempt to remain polite. On the other side of the dance floor, a bit far from them, there was a ludicrous commotion. The exasperated-looking man was dancing, or to be more exact, steering the petite girl in military uniform to move to the music so exaggeratingly that the pairings around them were backing away in fear of getting hurt, some of them even stopped dancing, too busy laughing behind their hands. The girl, who was doing an extremely dangerous sway it could be argued that she had a hangover, couldn't keep up with the fast beat of the music and hardly seemed to know what she was supposed to do. At least, she tried to imitate what the other ladies were doing but failed fantastically, stumbling over her partner's foot and clutching his front suit for support.

"You don't know shit about dancing!" snapped Levi, wincing as she trod on his foot for the twenty-sixth time. "Why the hell did you beg for a dance if you can't stand up straight for one goddamn second without stepping on my feet?!"

Alexandra Ritter straightened up at once, panting and sweating. "I read how to dance in a book but never try — whoa!"

Levi pulled her into his arms, dragging her to a swift double reverse turn and holding her hand high so she could perform an underarm turn. Alex pivoted but failed to catch his other hand, losing her balance and almost falling to the floor again if Levi didn't snatch her scruff and pull her up.

After what felt like an eternity of humiliation for Levi, the second song ended, another enthusiastic applause filled the ballroom once again, along with sniggering from the people around them. Levi let go of her hands, throwing a look of utter vexation at her and stomping away.

"Captain, I'm very, deeply, terribly sorry," said Alex, trudging beside him.

"Stupid brat," said Levi scathingly, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit. "Even a plank could dance better than you. If you want to embarrass yourself, do it alone."

"I will improve my dancing skill in the future, I promise," said Alex determinedly. "But… I never thought you were an adept dancer, sir. I thought you hated this kind of thing."

"Someone taught me…" said Levi softly, "long time ago…when I was a kid…"

"Really? Who did that?"

"None of your fucking business." He waved a hand dismissively. "Stay away from me, brat. I don't want to see your face again tonight."

"Yes, yes, I'll go right away, very sorry — um — for all the troubles," said Alex, a content smile stretched her tiny lips. "Thank you very much, sir, for dancing with me. It was fun!"

But the smile disappeared from her face at once: Levi darted the most vengeful glare he could muster at Alex. If only he had any idea how terrible she was at dancing, he really would have pushed her off the balcony back then and wouldn't bother looking back to check her condition. Nothing fun had happened since he set a foot here, and his mood was already as shitty as a gutter; he might strangle the next person who dared to annoy him.

At the same moment, Erwin was striding toward them, accompanied by a stunningly beautiful woman Levi didn't recognize, but after they got closer, he couldn't believe what he just saw.

"That blondie dangling on Erwin," said Levi, holding Alex's shoulder to stop her from leaving, "what is she doing here?"

"Umm… Sophie is…" said Alex. "Turn out, she is…a noble from Mitras."

"Noble?" Levi repeated skeptically. "Is she your close friend?"

"Oh… Well…" Alex hesitated. "We spent a lot of time together in boot camp. My bunkmate since the first day of boot camp to this day."

"Judging by your tentative answer, you had no idea she was a noble until now."

"Not even in my wildest imagination," said Alex as the blonde pair approached them.

"That was a very striking performance," said Erwin to Alex, visibly trying not to laugh while Sophie had difficulty suppressing her giggle.

"Is that a compliment or sarcasm, sir?" asked Alex. "I don't think I was doing it right."

"Of course he's being sarcastic, you stupid brat," said Levi, crossing his arms and leering at Alex, who was grimacing and flushing scarlet.

"It's nice to meet you here, Captain Levi," Sophie greeted, curtsying elegantly.

"I get it now," said Levi, staring at Sophie as though suddenly seeing her in whole new light.

"Get…what, sir?" asked Sophie nervously, straightening up in instant.

"Your pathetic, nearly nonexistent cleaning skill," spat Levi. "Your half-assed cleaning is a disgrace for entire human race, but I guess nobles never do grunt work."

"I-I-I'm s-sorry for skipping today's cleaning," Sophie stammered, "Commander Erwin ordered me —"

"I don't mind, you're more of hindrance than help," said Levi through tightly clenched jaw. "My cleaning project could have been done a lot sooner if you didn't get in the way."

"I advise you to stop right there in your bashing of a lady," said Erwin sternly.

"What is wrong with calling an idiot an idiot?" said Levi, still staring at Sophie, whose face now turned brilliantly red.

"How about trying harder to not offend anyone?" Erwin reminded.

"Including a cadet?"

"Of course," said Erwin. "You better show some respect to the Heiress of Wildenberg House."

Levi darted an irked look at Erwin. After a moment, he said, in a voice of forced courtesy, "I hope you could do better in the future, _Milady_, for the sake of your family. Don't want the Wildenberg's honorable reputation get tainted by having a klutz for an Heiress, do you?"

A thick and very tense silence filled in. Sophie looked like she wanted to bury herself in the deepest hole on the planet.

"Oh! Wine and champagne!" said Alex suddenly in an unnatural surprised voice and pointed a waiter serving the guests nearby, plainly trying to break the tension. "Would you like to have a glass, Captain Levi? You must be thirsty after the dance."

Levi turned at her, frowning, and before he could say anything, Alex had ushered him to the food table. She glimpsed at Sophie from over her shoulder; the two girls exchanged a stare that conveyed a nonverbal understanding.

"He really hates me…" said Sophie in a hollow voice, covering her mouth.

"Don't take it too personally, he's always rude to everyone," said Erwin bracingly. "But if you want him to stop harassing you, please, improve your cleaning skill," he added, sounding dead serious. "Let's have a drink."

Sophie reluctantly followed Erwin to the food table, quite keen to maintain a safe distance from Levi, who was sipping his champagne with the same surly and menacing expression. Alex was talking eagerly about something to him, transparently attempting to regale him but he didn't seem to pay any attention to her raving.

"Erwin, on your six o'clock!" Sophie exclaimed abruptly. "There! Baron Jeremiah Millford and his—"

A loud noise of shattering glass erupted from the food table. Alex froze where she stood and seemed unable to move a muscle; the wine glass had slipped out of her grasp to the floor, staining the shiny marble with dark purple liquid.

"What now, brat?" said Levi, putting his glass on the table. "You still want to embarrass yourself?"

Alex ignored him, staring horrorstruck at Sophie, her lips trembling. "Where?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Where is he?"

"Just across that table, why?" said Sophie, looking utterly concerned. "Alex, are you okay?"

Alex didn't answer. She took a few steps backward, her face screwed up with dread, in the next tiniest space of time, she turned around and dashed away as though her life was in mortal peril then vanished from the view.

"What just happened?" asked Erwin, exchanging puzzled looks with Levi.

"I'll go after her," Levi told him, scurrying past the buzzing crowd.

By the moment Levi shuffled out of the ballroom, Alex was sprinting down the marble staircase into the entrance hall and rushing through the front doors. He marched down the stairs, muttering curses under his breath, pondering what the hell just happened; one moment she was blabbering on and on about the varieties of champagne and wine, and all of sudden she dropped her glass and ran away. Levi picked up his speed, skidding to a halt at the porch and looking wildly around the front yard; he saw a glimpse of auburn hair hurtling toward the garden. He leapt down the stone steps, three at a time, and began to run again.

"Damn it! Where the hell is she?"

He was standing in the center of the garden among the brightly lit hedges and rosebushes. A chilly breeze blew hard, swirling the crispy leaves on the deserted and quiet stone path; she was nowhere to be found. The garden was immensely vast it felt like he just passing the same corner over and over again. At this point, finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Levi was wondering whether he should call the guards to locate her, when he was almost thrown aside by a figure that unexpectedly came hurrying from the shrubbery.

"You can't hold me captive!" yelled the tall figure of a woman whose voice was already familiar to Levi.

She sprinted toward the lake, blundering through the trees, the tip of her long gown brushing the grass. In the next second, a pack of MP guards emerged from the same shrubbery, dashing past Levi and shouting warnings that she must surrender at once. He had a shrewd guess about who that woman was, but meddling with her problem was not worth his time at this moment. Now that he knew all the guards were very busy hunting down a maniac, he continued striding the stone path, eyeing every nook and cranny of the dense shrubbery.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft whimpering that seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He proceeded and realized that the voice was issued from the bushes surrounding an enormous marble statue. He parted the thick leaves and looked down; on the ground, cowering at the foot of the statute, sobbing and covering her face with her hands, was Alex.

"Oi, brat, what are you doing?" said Levi, pulling her arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked.

"Brat, what the hell—"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She was trying to retract her arm as though she'd been burned. "DON'T TOUCH — PLEASE — DON'T HURT ME!"

Startled with her frantic reaction, Levi withdrew his hand immediately. "Alex," he called, his voice softened, "it's me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Very cautiously, Alex looked up to him from between her fingers. "Captain Levi?" she choked, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Oh… Sir, I'm… I'm s-so sorry… I d-d-didn't m-mean to…" She mumbled a bunch of words but she was trembling so violently that Levi didn't catch anything.

"You okay?" said Levi, crouching down in front of her. He extended a hand to check if she was injured but she recoiled further to the bushes as though he was pointing a knife at her neck.

"_Please — don't touch me!_" she cried, pressing hands to the sides of her head. "DON'T HURT ME!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured but he pulled his hand back. "What happened to you? Are you injured?"

Alex shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "P-P-Please… Please give me…a m-moment…" She sobbed harder than before, tucking her legs to her chest and burying her face to her knees.

Levi watched her sobbing in silence, unsure what he was supposed to do and unable to comprehend what exactly had happened to her. She was always full of surprises, he thought, from the very first moment they met, despite her annoying quirks that never ceased to irritate him, she had proven her worth as a soldier. He had seen her prowess in battlefield, he had witnessed how fierce she could be against titans, how she was always remained calm and level-headed even in precarious situations; a tough soldier with guts of steel that could make all the military policemen feel really ashamed of themselves. She deserved that first rank graduate, and that uniform; it still fit perfectly well on her, but this girl, the whimpering and trembling girl before his eyes, was not the soldier who had saved his life. She wasn't the soldier who had survived the outside world and lived to tell the tale; she seemed like an ordinary girl, helpless and vulnerable. Terror was in her quivering voice. Her shoulders seemed too small, too frail to bear the heavy burden of Wings of Freedom. She was clearly in pain, but from what and where, Levi wasn't quite sure. Her chest rising and falling rapidly, and the way both of her hands clutching the front of her coat, he was under the impression that every breath of air causing her insufferable agony.

"You're done?" Levi asked when her whimpering had faded away.

Alex took a deep, steadying breath and arouse out of the bushes. "I'm getting out of here," she mumbled, rushing past Levi.

"Wait," he said, standing up and blocking her way, "where are you going?"

"Anywhere…" she choked, wiping her eyes with her palms. "I can't stay here any longer…"

"What the hell just happened?"

She looked away, pressing her lips and shaking her head again.

"Tch. Follow me."

"No! I don't — please — I don't want—!"

"Calm the fuck down," said Levi loudly, shaking her shoulder. "Get a grip on yourself and stop acting like a crazy person."

"Yes, right, I'm sorry, sir…" she whispered. "But I can't… I can't go inside… I… don't want to…"

Levi let go of her shoulder. "We're going somewhere else."

She quickly looked him in the eyes. "R-really? Where are we going?"

"Back to Headquarter."

"Is it okay if I leave? But the order—"

"Don't worry about it," said Levi, gesturing her to follow him. "Don't underestimate the craftiness of Erwin Smith. He has a trump card he can pull anytime from his asshole."

They set off the windy stone path through the rosebushes, none of them talked. Levi watched her out of the corner of his eyes. She was still badly shaken, but at least she had stopped crying. Too many questions were swimming inside his head; he must find a way to make her talk no matter what, but forcing her to spit the truth in an interrogation chamber was obviously off the table. She seemed to have enough terror for a lifetime. Still in uncomfortable silence, they walked out of the garden into the main stone path that led to the front gate, where the horses and horse-drawn carriages were stationed. Levi opened the carriage door, snatching his traveling cloak.

"Oi, you," he called to one of Survey Corps soldiers near the front gate.

"Captain Levi!" The soldier did a salute in haste. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'll borrow your horse," said Levi, drawing his traveling cloak a little more tightly around his neck. "You'll go back to Headquarters in this carriage with Erwin. That's an order."

Before the soldier could raise an objection, Levi had steered the stallion out of the front gate and mounted.

"Hop on."

Alex didn't move from her spot. "Is it really going to be okay?"

Levi reached out a hand to help her mount on the horse. "I thought you wanted to get out of this place."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

Erwin checked his pocket watch; quarter an hour had passed and Levi had not come back. "This is taking too long. Where did she go?"

"Wherever it is, I hope she's not coming back," said Sophie gloomily, clasping his arm and staring into his eyes. "Promise me you won't give an order like this again to her. It's an horrible idea to bring her here."

He arched an eyebrow. "And why is that a horrible idea?"

"She is…a loner type, very reclusive, almost antisocial I daresay. She has problems with strangers, always avoiding meeting new people like a plague, always hiding from hustle like a frightened kitten. It's a miracle to see her here."

"I notice she's been acting weird since she came here. But why did she run away just now? What happened to her?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor and shrugged. "I have no idea…"

Erwin eyed her for a moment. The way she averted her gaze, his hunch was telling him she knew something about it, but pursuing the truth could wait for another day. "Very well. Let's continue our mission."

"Oh, Dear Sina," Sophie gasped, tugging his arm. "Baron Jeremiah Millford, your six o'clock."

Erwin turned around. A tall man strode past a few food tables and went straight toward them. He had sleek grey hair, sunken and shadowed eyes, and deep wrinkles on his haughty face, which gave an immediate impression of maddening superiority.

"Pleasure to meet you again, Lord Jeremiah," said Erwin,

"Erwin Smith," said Lord Jeremiah, his voice was unpleasantly unctuous. "The new Commander of Survey Corps, and Milady Sophie von Wildenberg," he continued with a smile that didn't reach his shrewd eyes. "Long time no see, Milady. I was wondering to myself the other day, when will the debutante ball of the Rose of Wildenberg be held, for which we have been all waiting?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any plans to hold a debutante ball in the near future," said Sophie, attempting an ingratiating smile.

"That's a bit disappointing," he said, glancing at Erwin then looking at Sophie again. "If I may know, to what do I owe this pleasure of having you as my guest tonight?"

"Well… I'm here on order as a soldier of Survey Corps," Sophie answered hesitantly.

"I see, you've been too busy playing soldiers, haven't you, Milady?" said Lord Jeremiah, his mouth kept smiling but his eyes held all the warmth of a serpent. "How unfortunate, an undeniably beautiful lady like you, making such a asinine decision to join the most wasteful and pointless legion of all, I'm very concerned about your wellbeing."

"Could you please enlighten me about what you meant with 'asinine decision'?" Sophie demanded, frowning and drawing herself up to her full height. "If you are referring to Survey Corps as 'wasteful and pointless legion', I suggest that you could—"

"Milady's decision was not without thorough consideration," Erwin interrupted, and Sophie went quiet, though still looking scandalized. "She perfectly understands the dangers and risks of being a soldier. Her decision to join Survey Corps shows that she's got more guts than the whole Military Police put together. "

"What kind of sorcery you have performed to lure Milady Sophie on your side, Erwin Smith?" Lord Jeremiah asked; his disturbing smile disappeared instantly. "I'm confused why Wildenberg House is still the biggest supporter you have to date. Now that you put the Heiress in mortal danger, I could only imagine they will severe all ties with you immediately, but Arthur's still very fond of you as usual. What was it? False hope? Threat? Blackmail? Or maybe the pretty lady has been captivated by your good looks?"

Sophie gasped and glared at him, a positively dangerous look etched on her reddening face. Erwin seized her hand before she could make a reckless action.

"I'm afraid you have misunderstood about a lot of things," said Erwin calmly, still holding her hand. "Wildenberg House is willing to contribute for the sake of humanity. They support the Survey Corps with sincere and honorable intentions."

"Honorable? Wasting money and resources for negligible affair is honorable? I'd rather call it foolishness. How much longer do you intend to extort money from the citizen for such a negligible affair?"

"Until the day when humanity finally retakes its freedom. Though, I'm wondering if you could participate with—"

"You should show some remorse, you know?" he cut in, his voice low and fierce. "With all the tribulations the Conservative had gone through since the imprisonment of Lobov, it's very impertinent of you to show your face again before me and ask for donation. Or maybe you've forgotten about it?"

"Last year's incident never leave my mind, Lord Jeremiah," said Erwin, with a little bow and a smile. "Actually, truth be told, I do feel remorse about revealing the ignominy and tainting the reputation of Lobov House, but I never feel guilty for bringing justice to all. Each person must atone for their crimes, no matter who they are."

Lord Jeremiah's face contorted into an oddly wicked expression as though Erwin had mortally offended him. "We shall meet again, Erwin Smith," he said, the malice in his voice was indisputable. "I hope your next expedition goes well, and of course, beneficial, not just soldiers dying for nothing while spending taxpayer money."

And then, with a last hateful look on his face, he stalked away.

"I hate him!" said Sophie when Lord Jeremiah was not within earshot, "what a horrible, despicable, selfish man! Congratulation, Erwin," she added, leering at him, "now you're officially the sworn enemy of his House for seven generations. Really, congratulation, what a splendid achievement."

"That went horribly wrong," Erwin admitted. "There's no way he'll support us."

Sophie gave him a _'what-did-I-tell-you?'_ look. "You better start listening to me," she said sourly.

"As you wish, Milady," he said with a smile and Sophie nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Stop teasing me or I will abort this mission!"

Erwin smiled even more broadly. "All right, sorry about that."

"Thank you for standing up for me," she muttered as they edged around the dance floor. "But I would have punched his face if you hadn't interfered."

"A lady doesn't punch people and I don't want my subordinate assaulting civilians."

"He deserves that!" she said savagely. "Concerned about me? What a heinous lie! He's beside himself because I keep rejecting his nephews' marriage proposals and grandfather is always against the Conservative during the Parliament meetings. And how dare he talk like that to you— why are you laughing?"

"You're still the same old Sophie," said Erwin, chuckling into his fist. He found her usual knack of speaking her mind very amusing, something he was rather fond of. "Now that I remember, you haven't told me why you chose Survey Corps. May I know your reason?"

"Let's save that conversation for later," she said promptly, glancing around. "A lot of ministers at two o'clock, want to coax them?"

"Perhaps not a wise idea," said Erwin gravely, "the Parliament members are not my biggest supporters these days. Occupational hazard, I'm afraid."

"Oh, what a pity, those old men are pretty wealthy," Sophie muttered, tapping a finger to her chin. "Well, if this mission fails, I could always leave a blank check on your desk anytime."

"No, we're not going to fail."

"Then how should we proceed?"

Erwin sighed; the time had come to use his ultimate strategy: gambling, as usual. "Excluding the member of Parliaments and Conservatives, how many people do you know in this party?" he asked.

"I don't know all the guests, but I'm sure they all know about me. Is that good enough?"

"Excellent. We'll talk to every single one of them."

Sophie's aquamarine eyes widened at him. "Everyone? Seriously?"

"Yes, every single one of them," Erwin repeated firmly. "We'll start from anyone with the highest prospect of donating. You can do it, right?"

"Of course, that's a cinch for me, but it will take all night."

"I give you one more day off tomorrow if this will take all night."

"Fair enough," said Sophie with a bright smile. "Our first target is at ten o'clock."

Erwin stared at a lady with short black hair donning silver satin gown. "Isn't she the Chief Justice of Supreme Court?"

"Yes, do you know her?"

"No, but I've seen her a few times at military central headquarters, discussing court-martial cases with Supreme Commander Zackly. Do you really think she will help us?"

"If we can negotiate with her, she may give a full support for expedition. She could be very scary sometimes, but out the courthouse, she's actually a very sweet lady and has a good sense of humor."

"You know her on personal level?" said Erwin, completely amazed. He had expected to be introduced to influential people, but not as influential as the woman who held the highest authority in judicial system.

"She's Mother's best friend, I've known her since I was four." Sophie tossed her hair and adjusted the folds of her gown. "I used to play dolls with her and attend tea parties together."

"Absolutely excellent," said Erwin, offering his arm. "Let's go get her."

The time was ticking fast. With the urgency to complete the mission as quickly as possible, the blond pair hurriedly approached the lady. She was a classic patrician beauty with fair skin, heart-shaped face and high cheekbones, but her austere demeanor and piercing black eyes suggested that she was not a person to put up with any nonsense.

"Good evening, Madame Wilhelmina," Sophie greeted.

"Oh my, what a surprise," she said, a warm smile softened her stern face. "The Rose of Wildenberg is here, of all times, and breathtaking as always."

"Thank you very much, Madame," Sophie replied, spreading her gown and curtsying. "Such a great honor to meet you here tonight."

"Honor to meet you as well," said Madame Wilhelmina, bowing her head. "How are you, my dear?"

"I'm doing very well. Mother sends her best regards to you."

"Ah, yes, Marianne won't be coming again," she said, looking slightly crestfallen, "too busy with Wall Cult, I presume, what a devout Wallist she is — who is this charming gentleman?" She smiled friendly to Erwin.

"An exclusive guest that I'd like to introduce to you," said Sophie with her most captivating smile. "Erwin Smith, the new Commander of Survey Corps."

**~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~**

The sound of footsteps echoed in the deserted and dimly lit main hall of the Survey Corps Headquarters, issued from two people who just entered the front doors. Alex took off her coat and had to jog to keep up with the man in front of her. Ever since their departure from Wall Sina, he had not said a word.

"Captain Levi…" said Alex in a hushed voice in an attempt to break the eerie silence between them. "I apologize for skiving off cleaning duty today. Squad Leader Hange pulled me out."

Levi made a vague grunt about "Erwin's order."

The silence crept eerily again.

"So…how was the cleaning duty today?" said Alex, making another brave move to start a conversation as they entered the dining hall.

"Bloody awful," said Levi indignantly. "Seriously, no one even cares about cleaning up. How many times have I said that even the desks need to be wiped down? Or the window frames need to be polished thoroughly? They can use the gear to wipe the outer window, none of them ever thought about that? Damned moronic Cadets… All of them have brains worse than Titan's."

Levi kept grumbling about the unsatisfactory work and mentioning some severe form of punishment for neglecting his command. Alex twisted the rim of her coat; she realized that she had made a fatal mistake: of all the things she could ask, she asked about _cleaning_… His tirade seemed last forever, but eventually came to end when he opened the door at the back of dining hall.

"Come in and sit down," he said, walking inside and igniting the candles in the room.

Alex hesitantly followed him. "Um… Kitchen, sir?"

The faint glimmer of candles revealed how messy the kitchen was: dirty plates and bowls from the night's supper pilling up in the sink, cooking spits were covered with soot, and there was a large puddle of what seemed like a vegetable stew on the floor. Alex stood near the door, probably thinking Levi would order her to clean but he said nothing. He lighted the cooking spits and proceeded to fill the kettle with water.

"Is there…anything I should do?" she asked.

"Sit your ass down," he said sharply, setting the kettle on the fire pit. The hint of irritation in his voice made Alex swiftly sat on the nearest chair.

Levi took off his traveling cloak and suit, tossing them on a chair. If he couldn't use brute force — that was the only way he knew how to squeeze information from people — he thought maybe a little hospitality would made her loosen her tongue to tell him what had happened to her. Levi rummaged through the ingredient shelves, opening the drawer of his secret stash: a small tin of black tea leaves. An idea popped up in his head.

A few minutes later, Levi put down a tray loaded with teacups and a steaming teapot of fresh tea and poured a cup for Alex. "Here. Have a drink."

She stared at him with lips slightly parted. "Tea…sir? You're serving me with tea?"

"So what?"

"This is…unexpected. Why?"

"Just drink it." He sat down opposite her, helping himself to a cup of tea.

"That's very peculiar," Alex commented the way he held the cup in claw-like manner. "Why do you do that?"

"Old habit," he said briskly. "Shut up and drink it. I didn't poison it."

Alex smiled at him. "Yes, thank you, sir."

There was a silence for a moment or two in which both of them were savoring the tea, and then, as Levi had brilliantly predicted, Alex stared at her cup and frowned.

"Sir, you brewed the tealeaves too fast," she said.

Levi pretended to sip his tea to hide the fact that he was smirking. "Ho? Really?"

"This tastes a little bit off."

"Tastes just fine to me. Tea tends to turn bitter when brew too long with boiled water, giving a bad aftertaste. The bitterness ruins everything."

"But black tea doesn't. It should be steeped in freshly boiled water." She took a small sip and licked her lips. "The flavor has a strong, unique taste of musky spiciness, and a vague scent of fruity and floral aroma, but this red-yellowish infusion is too mild which means you should have brewed it a little longer. This is black tea, only improperly brewed." She finished her explanation with a triumphant smile.

Putting down his cup, Levi gave a nod of agreement. "Not bad. You do have a good taste. But how did you know this is black tea?"

"I once read a book about—"

"Bullshit," he interjected, crossing his arms on the table. "Even if you would have read a thousand books, I bet your awfully shitty dancing would still be awfully shitty. You easily distinguished black tea by its flavor and color in one sip. It's not something you can do from reading a book. So, _how _did you know?"

Alex held her cup in the air, blinking at him. "Is it really strange that I happen to be knowledgeable about black tea?"

And that was a question Levi had waited for. He leaned forward, locking a firm gaze into her eyes. "Explain this to me: how could an orphaned brat like you happen to be an epicure for black tea, the finest thing that could only be accessed by the rich and nobility?"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Alex choked and stared warily at him, quickly putting her teacup on the saucer as if she was terrified it could explode at any second. "You tricked me… You intentionally made it this way…"

"I'm merely taking advantage on your annoying habit to blabber everything you know in details. I thought your tongue might slip something, and it did." He paused, enjoying the startled look on her face that grew more prominent with every word he uttered. "So, how in the fucking hell did you know this was black tea?"

"Black tea isn't really that hard to get," she answered, her voice was surprisingly very calm in contrast with her completely pallid face. "I've drunk it a few times before, I know how it tastes."

"And also an expert in wine and champagne," Levi continued, ignoring her blatant lies. "Hell, you could tell me which winery produces them with one gulp? Either you're a big fat liar or a psychic, or, you've drunk them a few times before. Tell me again how easy it was to buy champagne."

"You were listening?" she spoke in low voice. "I was positive you ignored me…"

"Your rambling was literally pounding my eardrums, how could I ignore it?"

It was a dead end. For this remark, Alex clearly failed to compose another lie. She fell silent, her eyes glancing around the kitchen as though searching for a way out.

"Cat got your tongue, brat?"

"I'm not comfortable talking about my ancient history with stranger," she said, her tone icy. "It's none of your business anyway."

Levi felt a sudden urge to throw his teacup at her face, but refrained with such a great deal of self-control. "Fine, I'll change my question. What the actual hell was that?"

She shot him a suspicious look. "That what?"

"Stop fucking around with me!" he snapped, banging his fist on the table so hard that his tea spilled on the table. "Even when you were one inch away from a titan's mouth you never cowered in fear. You never ran away and cried like a pathetic loser. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Alex leaned back as far as she could, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. The silence fell upon the kitchen along with a horrifying tense atmosphere; both of them were staring at each other without a blink as if preparing themselves for a fight. Levi mustered all the self-control he had left to not jump at her and yank her collar. She didn't move a muscle even under his most ferocious glare, something he associated with her determination of fighting titans, and that kind of unwavering calm demeanor was seriously grinding on his patience.

"Why were you freaking out like that?"

She merely rolled her eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" said Levi, raising his voice.

"Why should I answer those unnecessary questions?" said Alex, raising her voice even more loudly. "Why are you so desperate to know?"

"Do you not trust me enough to just fucking tell me what happened to you? Don't forget I'm your superior."

"You can't possibly gain my trust by the power of your glare alone, you know? And besides, I'm not obliged to do and say things unrelated to my duty."

"Unrelated, you say?" Levi scoffed. "Fine, I'll report to Erwin that you abandoned your duty tonight."

Her eyes widened in shock. "But you said—"

"The mission will be fine without you, but I can't guarantee your ass won't get caned," he said sleekly. "You've got some guts to break Erwin's order, Cadet."

"You deceived me to come with you so you could use it against me?!" she shouted, rising from her chair.

The answer was, quite honestly, no, but Levi decided against telling her that because she had lost her composure. They had a brief moment of staring at each other again in silence but this time, her unflinching stare had been replaced by a glint of fear and, in the end, she gave a long, tired sighed, before slumping into her chair.

"I was foolish to think you really wanted to help me…" she whispered, gazing at her lap.

"If you still can use your foolish brain to think," said Levi, in a voice he hoped sounded kind and encouraging, "answer my questions and maybe I can reason with Erwin to not give you punishment."

Alex clenched her fists on the table, still gazing down. "But…" she mumbled. "It's very long…and difficult to explain…"

"Take your time, we've got all night."

A minute. A half an hour. An hour. Levi waited, using every last ounce of his patience to not shouting at the top of his lungs for making him waiting too long. He was hoping she would answer immediately, but she kept gazing down, pressing her lips together, entwining her fingers and fidgeting her thumbs.

"Will you start talking, or do I have to drag you to interrogation chamber?" Levi asked, pouring the cold tea to his cup. "It's not very pleasant there."

"Fine," she finally said, still with a quivering voice. "I will tell you what happened, sir…" She held her breath briefly and grimaced like there was a very painful stab in her chest, and then said, "There was someone in that party, the one, he… He was my last m-master…"

"Master," Levi repeated.

The word was the last missing piece of the night's mystery. Without further explanation, the reason why she had ran away, crumpling and sobbing in terror, all suddenly became clear to him… Master. The word that he had heard too often in that place… The place deep down there where worthless people were dumped away by their masters…

"I have a-admission to m-make…" she stammered, her voice was so vague that Levi had to lean closer to hear her words. "I was… I was caught up in human trafficking, it happened long time ago when I was still living alone in the forest. I thought they were hunters for wild animals, and turned out, they were human traffickers. And they… umm… they caught m-me, s-s-shot me in the leg…"

She paused, looking at him deeply in the eyes as though challenging him to ridicule her. Levi made no comment. Dropping her gaze at her cold tea, she continued, in a brittle voice.

"And then, I was brought to Mitras and sold…as a s-s-slave worker… Those people were…very…bad…very ruthless and unforgiving, but my last master was the worst of all… Every time I made a mistake, no matter how insignificant it was, he—"

She opened her mouth but it seemed the words stuck in her throat. After a moment, she closed it, swallowing hard, apparently deciding that the words should never leave her throat. She glanced at Levi, obviously expecting his reaction, but he only stared at her while drinking his tea.

"Let's just say too m-many horrible…things happened to me back then…until one day, I just couldn't take it anymore so I ran away from his manor."

There was something heartbreakingly painful in her shaky voice. She gazed at the dancing fire in the cooking spit, the bright light reflected on her glassy eyes.

"And that's all the update on my ancient history," she muttered with a note of real mortification. "Are you satisfied now, Captain?"

The answers greatly satisfied his curiosity for this moment, although, he never meant to bring up such traumatic issue. He sipped the remaining tea dregs from his cup, racking his brains to think what was the most appropriate thing to say in this situation — hopefully he could say something nice and comforting — and was quite alarmed when he saw a tear trickling down her cheek. Not wanting her to go on crazy mode again, he blurted out, in his miserable endeavor to divert the topic of conversation, "No wonder you're so great in cleaning."

Alex quickly turned to him, wiping her eyes, looking utterly nonplussed. "That's your first comment, sir? The first thing in your mind is how incredible I am in cleaning?" She let out small giggle. "You're really obsessed with cleanliness, aren't you?"

That was shitty, Levi thought, but nevertheless it was good to know she eventually acted more like her usual self. "I bet those swine were so happy to have a genius maid like you."

"I wasn't a good maid at first," she admitted. "Very dreadful and useless, I must say, like, there was a tea party in which I had to serve the guests, and I mistook tealeaves with dried barley leaves."

Levi snorted into his cold tea. "That was idiotic as hell."

"That was the first time I ever saw dried barley leaves."

"You actually served the guests with barley infusion? That must be really amusing to watch."

"Yeah, that was very hilarious," Alex murmured, watching the fire again, "until the Mistress dragged me by my hair to the kitchen and slammed my head to the nearest object in sight. It was a boiling kettle."

Levi was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say, or to think, and had expected she would burst into tears at any second. To his great relief, she didn't show any sign of emotional distress; her face was impassive and she seemed lost in her thoughts, staring blankly at the fire.

"I decided I must take the maid life more seriously if I didn't want to end up dead," she said flatly. "That's how I become an expert at cleaning."

Levi couldn't resist the temptation to ask more. "If you were really that stupid why did those bastards still hire you?"

"Because it was convenient," she answered; her expression remained stony. "You don't give salary to slaves, do you? I didn't have citizenship at that time. If I got kicked out, I would end up in jail. I was very cheap, no surprise, no one wanted a stupid housemaid who couldn't brew tealeaves. I had always been sold as the last resort. But since I got better at doing my job, I got fewer beatings, which was good."

"I see," said Levi. "That makes sense why you seemed bored to death."

"I always hate balls. And for balls as extravagant as tonight's, the maids won't get sleep for two days straight. The preparation alone usually takes a whole week, the food and drinks, the decorations, the cleaning, and the ladies in their boudoirs were amusingly silly to fuss over pimples and unruly hair."

"Nobles are basically very stupid," he agreed, thinking back about that pathetic excuse of a woman who couldn't even mop the floor. "Where did you go after running away?"

"I can't tell you that," she said after a brief moment. "Everything that happened after that point is irrelevant to your question."

"I thought you trusted me."

"Yes, I do," she said hastily. "I just…don't want to talk about it… I don't feel like reliving it right now, or forever and ever." She gave a shudder, fidgeting her thumbs again. "It's been years since the last time I saw him… I'm still weak and pathetic…"

"It has nothing to do with strength," said Levi firmly. "The trauma still affects you, but the past is in the past. Now is now. You're a soldier right now, the best in your class. You survived the outside world and killed titans like they were nothing. You can easily kick his ass, give him a few lessons for treating you like shit."

"Yeah, I'll definitely do it next time," said Alex, smiling slightly and drinking her cold tea. "Sir, how do you have the black tea?"

"I put it in legion's budget," he answered lightly.

"What?" She looked at him in surprise. "But, we're in monetary crisis…"

"Erwin knows, but he hasn't done anything to cut my budget."

"Do you mind if I show you how the nobles have their tea in the inner wall, sir?"

Feeling intrigued, he immediately gave a nod and Alex swept to the cooking spit, boiling the kettle. She opened the ingredient shelves, sorting bundles of herbs and spices. He stood closely behind her, watching everything she did with great interest.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"A special tea concoction, tea is something you have to put effort into, so the taste can vary greatly with different ingredients and techniques," she explained, searching through the shelves again. "Not too many herbs in here… Hmm… Let's see…"

Fifteen minutes later, Alex put down a teapot and two cups of freshly brewed hot tea on the table, which issued strong citrus fragrance. "Ginger lemon tea," she said happily, drinking with delight. "I added thyme for the flavor, too bad we don't have honey or lavender."

Levi took a slow sip; it blew his mind, and his taste buds. The mild sweetness, the rich flavor, the smooth aftertaste, none of it overdone. He drained his cup in one big gulp, staring at the dregs, hoping to find the words of its secrets.

"How is it?" said Alex, beaming. "It tastes good, doesn't it?"

"This is definitely the best tea I've ever drunk in my lifetime." He smirked, filling his cup. "You're a genius."

She smiled and put down her cup. "I'm sorry I caused a lot of trouble," she said. "I shouted at you, and, umm… I shouldn't have said things like that. I'm sorry. It was very disrespectful… Are y-you angry w-with me, Captain?"

Oddly enough, he didn't mind her yelling at him; it was her obstinacy to not divulge anything that made his blood boil. "If you just had told me everything from the very beginning we wouldn't be having shouting match," he said.

"I don't want anyone to know about it," she mumbled, biting her lips, a faint color of scarlet crept up her cheeks. "It's very embarrassing, and I don't think you would understand…"

"I understand," said Levi quietly.

Alex was looking at him as if she had never seen him before. Levi looked back at her and was quite surprise to see her smiling so fondly. Her eyes softened and she looked much happier than Levi had ever remembered.

"Thank you for getting me out of there," she said softly. "Thank you for being kind to me."

Levi was stunned by her response, wondering what he had done deserved her gratitude. In his perplexity, he only nodded and sipped his tea. "Go to your barracks. I'll deal with Erwin."

"So… No hard feelings?"

"I give you triple cleaning duty starting tomorrow for compensation."

She chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that."

"This is just my personal opinion," said Levi as she stood up and picked her coat. "I don't think two people who have gone through life-and-death situations together are strangers."

"Maybe you're right," she said serenely. "Good night, sir."

Alex saluted and left the room, and as he watched her go, a great rush of enigmatic feelings intensified horribly inside his chest. Was it astonishment? Was it a sense of guilt for forcing her to recall all those painful memories? Or maybe it was pity? He knew exactly how it felt to be in her shoes. He had lived a life where he didn't have anyone to rely on, where he had to endure the pain and suffering all by himself. There were times when he thought he just wanted to give up. He thought it was easier, very much less painful to be dead than to continue to live. The sorrow. The despair. The loneliness. The agony of being left alone…

It was a half an hour of drinking his tea in solitude before he realized he was feeling sorry for her. Somehow — in a way he wasn't sure how it happened — he felt a strange connection with her, a sense of understanding between two people who had known how cruel the world could be. Why, he wondered, of all places, of all people, he met someone who reminded him of what his life used to be. He had also been in that position, a long time ago, so powerless and hopeless, he couldn't do anything other than cower and cry on the ground…

The door suddenly flung open and Hange Zoe burst into the kitchen, snapping the door shut with an almighty force that made every cutlery and kitchen utensil rattling in the cupboards. She looked terribly disheveled as if she had just fought her way out of the deepest forest; her hair was messier than ever with little twigs and leaves, her lopsided glasses had cracked on the left lens, bruises and cuts were all over her arms. Her face was screwed up in frustration and rage that Levi thought titans just had obliterated her entire squad.

"I swear to Heaven I won't do this ever again!" she shrieked. Before Levi could ask, she shouted again, "I had fistfight with the guards!"

"So the guards failed to apprehend you," said Levi, not even trying to conceal his disappointment. This was one of the rare moments when he wished military policemen were more competent to fulfill their duty.

Hange plonked on the chair beside him, ruffling her hair to get rid of all the leaves and twigs. "They almost got me by the lake, thinking they could corner me because it was too dark. Ha! Bunch of morons! I'm invincible at night combat!"

"What in the name of fuck have you done?"

"Nothing!" she cried, throwing up her hands.

Levi scowled at her. "Then why were they chasing you?"

"I was just talking about my research to those rich people but they kept ignoring me. So I did everything I could to get their attention then the guards accused me of 'disturbing public order' and 'threatening personal safety'! Can you believe that?! How fucked up was that?!"

Levi came to conclusion that the chance that Hange would ever stop spitting nonsense about titans to every living being she encountered was as much as the chance that the military policemen would ever use their brains to do their damn jobs right. "Yeah, I get how seriously fucked up your brain is," he said coldly. "I thought you would have known better than to corner sane people and force-feed them with your crap."

"Even you don't think my research is useful…" she muttered, looking visibly hurt.

"Not everyone has a mental disorder like you."

Hange glared at him and was about to retort back at the same moment the door flew open again. Nanaba stormed into the kitchen, crossing her arms and looking extremely sulky, followed by Mike who was holding a big crate.

"Eh…what happened?" asked Hange, glancing cautiously from Mike to Nanaba.

Nanaba said nothing, rummaging the cupboard with loud noises. Mike dropped the crate on the table, which was filled with bottles of expensive liquors that was served at the party.

Levi grabbed the champagne bottle, frowning. "Are you stealing all this booze?"

"Just some gifts from the generous hostess," said Mike, sitting down and opening a vodka bottle.

"Awesome!" said Hange, uncorking a bottle of wine. "How did you get this?"

"Oh, I perfectly know how he got it," said Nanaba curtly, slamming the tankards onto the table. "Could you believe him? He was flirting with, I'm not sure, ten or twelve women at the same time."

Mike clicked his tongue at her rude accusation. "Politely appraising and giving flattering remarks for their choices of perfume, women love to be praised. And it paid out quite well."

Nanaba threw herself on the chair beside him. "I didn't know you were such a womanizer."

"I thought we were there to coax the rich, I was just following the order," said Mike.

"And asked them for a dance?" asked Nanaba indignantly, pouring vodka to her tankard. "So much for following the order."

Mike looked at her for a few seconds before smiling. "I thought you said you didn't want to dance."

"You two, get a room already," Hange interrupted just before Nanaba opened her mouth, pointing a finger to the door. "Stop quarreling like married old couple, I'm sick of it."

"We're not couple," said Mike and Nanaba in unison, though Mike said it with collectedness while Nanaba made a sound like an angry cat.

"No one will listen to that," Hange sneered, "like no one will listen to my titans research," she added bitterly, gulping the wine and slopping a little over her chin.

"What happened to you?" asked Mike, staring at her bruise-covered arms.

"I had a fight with the MP guards," said Hange darkly. "Long story short, they wanted to throw me out of the manor. I threw them to the lake."

"Serves you right," said Nanaba with a satisfied smile, unarguably had not got over the resentment of Hange tricking her to attend the ball.

Hange frowned at her but made no snide remarks. They drank silently around the table, where the atmosphere was far more depressing than the bonfire funeral after the last expedition, pondering what would happen to Survey Corps after tonight. The mission had not been very successful and they had not managed to contribute in the slightest. They inwardly convinced themselves that Erwin had pulled off his schemes, until the door flew open again and the man they had been waiting for trudged inside, looking overly exhausted and defeated, which was not a good sign.

"God damn it, we're so done," said Hange desperately as Erwin stood closer to the table. "We're so freaking done. No money. No more expedition. Survey Corps is history."

Erwin stared at them one by one. "I reckon all of you had failed to even get one supporter," he said stiffly.

"I was trying my best but this is all I could get," said Mike, offering a bottle of whiskey as a proof of his effort.

"Spit it out," said Levi. "Are we done or not?"

Erwin sighed and pulled out a scroll of parchment very slowly from his pocket. There was a long pause, during which Erwin unrolled the parchment and stared at it, maybe he was preparing a dramatic reveal, and everyone stared uneasily at him. He finally tossed it on the table, clear for everyone to see that many signatures had been scribbled on the white page from the top to the bottom end.

"We got our supporters," said Erwin, throwing his cloak on the chair and loosening his collar. "We got all the money we need for the next expedition, even more than I expected." He glanced at Hange. "I think I can spare some for your research fund."

"YAHOO!" Hange jumped from her chair and flung her arms around Erwin's neck. "YOU'RE THE BEST COMMANDER EVER!"

"Glad to know you love me again after all the yelling in last meeting," said Erwin sarcastically, struggling to release himself.

"You're a terrifying man, in a good way," said Mike, grinning and patting his shoulder.

"Alright then!" Hange squealed, grabbing more wine bottles from the crates. "Let's get the party started!"

"Erwin Smith!" Mike bellowed, rising his tankard. "The man who can make the impossible possible!"

"You are exaggerating," said Erwin though he didn't stop the toast.

"That's the truth and anyone sensible would agree!" said Hange cheerfully.

A roar of celebration and laughter erupted into the night. It seemed they were having the revelry of their lifetime, and after an hour, they started making uproarious toasts: to the Survey Corps, to the blacksmiths who made the 3DM Gear, to the majestic crawling-type Deviants (only Hange said this), to The King, to all the nobles who had spilled their money, and to many others inconsequential things. They were so busy drinking and laughing that they didn't realize Keith Shadis had entered the kitchen, carrying a small box and staring around with amazement. The sight of his former subordinates donning formal apparel and drinking booze after midnight was something he saw once in a blue moon.

"I thought you people went to royal party," he commented.

"This is Survey Corps celebration party!" Hange squealed, uncorking the next bottle of wine. "C'mon! Have a drink, ex-Commander!"

"What are we celebrating?" Keith asked as he joined them.

"Erwin has performed another miracle," said Mike, pointing to the signed parchment. "The next expedition is ready to go."

"I'm not surprised to hear that." Keith dropped the box on the table. "Here are the files of our new recruits."

"So, this is the next step?" asked Mike, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "To overcome our shortage of soldiers?"

"Yes, I decide to enlist all the new recruits to the expedition, whether they're ready or not," said Erwin. "I guess we have settled all the problems for the next expedition."

"Our most promising cadets." Keith handed over some files to Erwin. "The top ten from the southern division. We got lucky, these kinds of brats usually go straight to the Military Police."

"She's your trump card," said Levi to Erwin, tapping a finger on a file labeled 'Sophie Aumont'. "This Wildenberg brat is the main pawn in your mission tonight."

Hange quickly stared at Erwin with mouth hanging open in a perfect O. "We got a Cadet from Wildenberg House?! Why I haven't been told about this?!"

"You never asked," said Erwin.

Hange snatched the file and read it with gleaming eyes. "Damn! I could have leeched her from weeks ago!"

"Don't leech her for your personal gain," Erwin warned promptly.

"So, you knew her long before she joined Survey Corps?" asked Mike to Erwin.

"Wildenberg House has been our main supporter for years," said Erwin. "It's only natural that I know her."

"Is that all?" asked Mike skeptically. "You spent the entire night with her, making weird faces, talking and smiling like a teenager. You looked like you were having fun."

"Don't be fooled by that," said Erwin nonchalantly. "I was only feigning it to trick everyone into sponsoring the Corps. She's nothing but a walking pile of money to me, and unlimited free access into the most elite nobilities in society. She helped me a lot, two-thirds of the supporters we gained tonight are her acquaintances."

"Wait a second," said Hange sharply, darting a suspicious look at Erwin. "You got a Wildenberg Heiress in your pocket. You basically didn't need any of us at that party. Your plan would work out very well even without us masquerading like idiots."

Erwin nodded. "Generally speaking, yes."

"Then why the hell you gave us such an idiotic order?" Levi demanded.

"I've been hearing rumors about you," Erwin began, looking at Nanaba and Mike. "I don't want to make a judgment based on insubstantial proof, like, wild rumors. Luckily tonight, I got all the evidence I needed. Something is happening between you two, I don't care what it is, but whatever it is, _stop pretending it isn't happening_." He put extremely heavy emphasis on the last few words. "Report it to HRD immediately before you cross multiple military fraternization regulations."

Nanaba, whose face had turned bright red either because of alcohol or intense embarrassment, moved her head in one stiff nod, while Mike smirked victoriously and said, "We'll do it, Erwin. First thing tomorrow morning."

Erwin turned his head to Levi. "A little punishment, since Commander Keith never gave you an official penalty for stealing the logistics."

"You're punishing me for my insubordination that saved my subordinate?" said Levi, glaring at him.

"Yes, and the next time you act on your own discretion, you'll be accompanying me in six banquets. I'm sure you will have so much fun."

For a split second, Levi looked as if he would have liked nothing better than to strangle Erwin. However, he merely looked away and gave a noncommittal grunt that suggested he accepted his order.

"And me?" said Hange with a hiccup. "What did I do wrong?"

Erwin gave her a bitter smile. "Hange Zoe, how long have you known me? I always expected better of you. I expected you could do better than doubt my judgment. When you start to lose your temper again and criticize my decisions, remind yourself that I _always_ have plans."

Hange slammed her tankard down the table, spilling wine everywhere. "You're mad because I yelled at you in the last meeting?! I almost ended up in jail you sick, twisted, heartless man!"

"Now you know how difficult it is to be me, do you?" said Erwin coldly. "You owe me one. If it weren't because of me asking the nobles to drop their charges, you would have slept behind bars tonight. Yell at me again and I'll remove your authority to conduct experiments and you can kiss your office goodbye."

This threat definitely hit Hange below the belt; she could only gaze at him for a while then nod obediently, her lips pursed. Without further complaints, she scurried out of the room, followed by Mike and Nanaba.

"Wait, Levi," said Erwin when Levi was about to stand up. "What happened to Alex?"

"Oh, that… She fled from the party because she was afraid her former employer would recognize her," said Levi, and a bit reluctantly, he explained everything that had happened. "You won't punish her, right?" he asked, sounding slightly concerned. "You basically didn't need her tonight, and she's been through a wringer."

"No, I don't think it's necessary," Erwin reassured. "By the way, it was very nice of you to stay with her."

"She's my subordinate," said Levi in a low voice. After he had drained his tankard, he set off to the sleeping quarters, clutching another champagne bottle.

"You asked Arthur for extra invitations so they could go," said Keith, staring at Erwin in wonder. "That's what you've set in motion."

"Totally worth it," Erwin sighed, helping himself to more whiskey. "I'm no longer their peers, they have to acknowledge that. It's harder to command friends than subordinates."

"And now the pretty heiress joined the club. Is it safe to assume we have permanent support from Arthur?"

"Judging from how terrified he was when I told him I would feed his daughter to titans, yes."

"You are a miracle worker," said Keith, raising his tankard for a toast. "Ever since the incident with Lobov last year, I knew you would pull the strings behind the curtains and move your pawns according to your schemes. Even succeeding to persuade the two most challenging women to put on a gown."

Erwin raised his bottle. "My only concern is to get enough funding for the next expedition, though, I must admit seeing Hange with a skirt is one of my greatest achievements so far."

Keith snorted and took a deep draught. "There's a fine line you just don't cross, but you crossed it and came back alive," he said, his voice was rather bitter. "It's something I would never be able to do. You're that special…" He shook his head and finished his drink. "The next expedition will be my last."

"Stepping down does not necessarily mean you have to retire. You are one of the most experienced veterans. The Corps still needs you."

"I'll retire from the corps and become a drill instructor at the boot camp," said Keith with determination.

Erwin nodded with a faint smile. "I feel sorry for the kids who will have you as their instructor. The boot camp will be a hundredfold harsher than it already is."

"I'm honored to mold the brats into fine soldiers, it's the very least an obsolete soldier like me can do. And about the squad placement, I think it's also good to mix a few veterans with some greenhorns, show them how things get done."

"That's exactly what I've been thinking," agreed Erwin.

Keith muttered a goodnight and left the kitchen. Erwin put aside his empty tankard, picking all the files then starting to read them. He had to think of the right placement in the scouting formation to make sure all the new recruits could live a little bit longer, if he didn't want further shortage of soldiers. The safest course of action was to put them on relay teams, the easiest task in the formation, although, he had chosen several of them to be put in the front line. Dangerous gambles, but by the time he read their files, he had no reason to regret his decision.

_Sophie Aumont, ranked 9__th__. Quick-witted and strong-willed. Not the strongest combatant on the field, but she is a selfless individual who acts like glue and holds her teammates together. Every squad needs a tough backup like her._

_Gerard Warner, ranked 7__th__. The first class team player who delivers the most lethal assists. Proficient in every kind of training with an ability to instantly adapt to almost any situations. Has potential to climb higher ranks only if he has more initiative and seriousness._

_Emory Keegan, ranked 4__th__. Natural born leader. Easily gains respect and trust from his comrades. A true genius on battlefield with uncanny logical thinking and a proclivity for weaponry invention. _

_Kenneth Rodhlann, ranked 2__nd__. Ambitious and competitive. Excels in every area, even in the most difficult courses. Possesses a sense of purpose to aim for the top. Tends to trigger conflicts with others, making him unsuitable for team assignment._

As expected from top ten graduates, Erwin thought, maybe the Goddess of War was on his side this time, and he would be damned if he didn't manipulate their potentials to the utmost. Thinking there would be a good prospect for the upcoming expedition, he reached for the last file, which was the thickest of all.

"Alexandra Ritter…"

_A gifted and formidable swordsman with flawless technique. Striking every target in lightning speed with accuracy and deep penetration._

_Uses 3DM gear like no one ever does. She is effortlessly capable of making sharp turns and changing her direction in the midair. Has an absolute control of her body with perfect spatial perception and kinesthetic sense._

_The sharpest knife in the drawer. Exceptionally intelligent with keen intuition. Highly competent in tactical prediction and coordination, ironically, her unconventional approaches are too bizarre to be followed by her teammates._

_Unrivaled. Remarkable hand-to-hand fighter to be reckoned with. Highly skilled in the art of evasion with cat-like reflexes. Able to quickly pick up on her opponent's fighting style and battle pattern. She has displayed great speed, flexibility, and ferocity that made up for her lack of strength._

"Interesting."

It seemed all the instructors had written down all their personal opinions about her. Erwin spent too much time reading her file, and the more he flipped the pages, the more he was struck with awe. After reading the last page, his lips curved into a wide smile, but not the fake smile he had been keeping on his face all night. It was a genuine smile of wild happiness, yet for the obvious reason his smile made his handsome features look…cold and inhuman.

He closed the file, stowing it inside the box; a stream of ideas was running inside his head.

Erwin Smith always had plans and his plans always worked.

* * *

**Revamped: December 31st**

**Author's Note 11/13/15: My hand is healed! So I can write with two hands again (yay!) and my work is back to the normal shift (boo!).**  
**I just realize it's very weird to respond reviews in chapter, so I'll reply via PM. Keep them coming! Tell me everything on your mind, the good the bad the ugly. I want to be a better writer :D****  
I hope you guys don't mind a fic with too many OCs. This is Attack on Titan fanfic, of course I need a lot of OCs, if you know what I'm talking about...  
See you next time!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Attack on Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 9**

**-Year 845 before the Fall of Wall Maria, ten days before 30****th**** Expedition-**

Alexandra Ritter was slumping on her desk in the back of the class, propping her chin on both hands and gazing vaguely at the serene blue sky adorned with drifting fluffy clouds through the open window beside her. The chill of autumn was strangely comforting, blowing her auburn hair with temptation to go outside and spend the day in the gleaming sunlight. All she felt like doing was taking a stroll onto the grounds, perhaps reading a book on the grass or having a picnic alone by the nearest lake; she would love to go swimming if the water was not too chilly. But for the recruits in the Survey Corps, wishing to have free time to enjoy the beautiful day of autumn was a mere fantasy to the point of stupidity. The day of 30th expedition was drawing near, and after the grand cleaning project had ended (Alex had completed eighty percent of the massive cleaning duty all by herself and her peers—who all nearly burst into tears on the last day—had thanked her because the grumpy superior had finally stopped throwing a fit at them), the recruits had no time to relax blissfully. Their schedule was so full; did they have to learn the basic survival skills, logistics distribution, and scouting formation, all the drills and 3DM Gear training had become more demanding than before. It seemed like they must cram all the knowledge into their heads in a limited amount of time. Even so, they had accepted the enormous workload that got increasingly onerous without complaints because it was so much better than having another round of cleaning duty.

Team Leader Dita Ness taught the class this morning, talking in detail about the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation and the specific roles of each position. The chain of command between relay teams, enemy detection squad backup and front line squads was so complicated that most of the class barely understood what the veteran soldier had explained. Thankfully, he was patient enough to repeat his instructions twice or thrice or even start explaining the subject all over again. After an hour, Alex thought the shapes of the clouds in the sky were a thousandfold more interesting than the possibilities of all the worst-case scenarios that could happen on field.

Gerard Warner sat beside her, scribbling on his note and nudging her softly. "What should we do if the titans break the outer line of defense?" he whispered.

Still looking outside the window, Alex whispered back, "Bring them down immediately with all that you've got before they reach the center."

"Including the Deviants?"

"Especially the Deviants."

In front of her, Emory Keegan and Kenneth Rodhlann turned around to look at her, clearly overhearing their whispering, both looking very anxious.

"Aren't they the most dangerous?" said Emory in a low voice.

Yawning, Alex watched the crusty brown and tawny leaves whirled around in a circle like a small tornado. "Yes, that's why you must bring them down immediately," she whispered again. "They could obliterate the whole battalion in a blink of an eye. We don't want that to happen, do we?"

The three of them exchanged aghast looks then jotted down this crucial information. It was probably the anticipation of the upcoming encounter with titans that got on everyone's nerves. Alex never meant to treat her comrades condescendingly; she was willing to share her experience with anyone who asked about fighting titans. However, every time she gave a wealth of detail about what had really happened on her first expedition, her listeners fell unnaturally silent with despairing looks on their faces. Instead of becoming some sort of inspiration, the chilling tale of fighting hordes of Deviants in the wild in an extremely bad weather had crushed their morale to dust, and Alex had come into a realization that honesty was not always the best policy. Since then, she only told a few things she thought would ease their stress.

When all the interestingly shaped clouds had drifted away, Alex fell asleep for the rest of lecture until the ringing bell woke her up. She quickly shoved her belongings into her bag and followed Gerard, Kenneth, and Emory outside the class.

Sophie Aumont joined them as they set off down the staircase. "Do you think we can win against titans?" she asked to no one in particular.

"We'll be avoiding them, not fighting," said Emory in a placatory tone. "Typical titans won't keep up with our horses on long distance racing."

"But, but what if we have to fight them? " said Sophie apprehensively, flipping the pages of her notebook. "Should we immobilize them or go straight to the nape? Did you even hear Leader Dita saying that our chance of survival is fifty percent?"

"Relax, titans are not that terrifying," said Alex. "They are slow and dumb. Most of them don't pose any threats. If they do, a simple diversion trick will be enough. It's the Deviants you should be very—"

"You sound more and more like Squad Leader Hange," Gerard cut in. "You shouldn't hang out with her too often, she'll make you insane."

"Speaking of Squad Leader Hange, I asked her about a few tips on how to handle Deviants yesterday," said Emory, "the way she spoke so fondly about them, you might think she was talking about her cuddly kittens."

"Sounds like the sort of mental thing that mad woman would say," said Kenneth derisively. "I guess she's not right in the head."

"Don't say things like that about Squad Leader Hange," said Alex reprovingly to Kenneth. "And Deviants are more interesting. It's a little bit tricky to kill them, they are so weird and unpredictable, one second they are very calm, the next second they chase you like there's no tomorrow. If we encounter them, make sure you don't—"

"Exactly how many titans have you killed?" Kenneth interrupted.

"I'm not keeping record on that," said Alex.

"C'mon, just a rough count," said Gerard, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I know you killed lots of them. Ten? Fifteen?"

Alex scratched her temple. "Well, I'm not quite sure, but... maybe 36 titans, I guess."

"What the hell?!" said Kenneth, gaping at her.

"That even higher kill counts than most regular soldiers in two years!" said Sophie.

"I said I'm not sure," Alex reminded. "It could be lower—"

"Or higher," Emory continued with an impressed voice. "You're really amazing."

"Is it really that great?" asked Alex as they walked out of the castle into the backyard.

"Great, you say?" Gerard repeated incredulously. "It's freaking badass!"

"Captain Levi is much more badass than me," said Alex. "I'm nothing compared to him."

"Really?" said Kenneth, sounding highly interested. "How is he on battlefield?"

They strode down the stone steps along with other recruits while discussing about the might of Humanity's Strongest Soldier, and for the very first time, Alex's story managed to really lift up their spirit. Kenneth demanded blow-by-blow account of the incident after Captain Levi and Alex got separated from the main troops but the talk ended abruptly when the recruits reached the warehouse, and they hastily prepped to start 3DM Gear training.

"I hope this will end soon," said Sophie glumly, throwing her bag onto the rack and reaching for her gear.

"If you're really worried about fighting titans, you should be practicing more," said Alex, jumping to take her gear but she still couldn't reach it.

Sophie sank on the bench, idly fastening the straps. "I know, but this is very boring… Not so different with boot camp…"

"Why are the higher rank officers watching our training today?" said Kenneth, looking at the window. There was a long line of veterans on the horseback across the field.

"They will gauge our skills?" said Emory, helping Alex to take her gear after she had tried to climb up the rack and almost made the whole wooden shelf collapse on her. "For the squad placement? We still don't know where we'll be stationed."

"It's too much for an evaluation, don't you think?" said Gerard, popping his head out of the window. "Squad Leader Mike, and Captain Levi, bunch of Team Leaders from the first squad — hey, even Commander Erwin is there!"

Sophie suddenly sprang up and rushed to the window, pushing Gerard aside. "Seriously?! Where is he?!"

Erwin Smith was among the veterans on the front line. Riding his white stallion, he was talking with Mike Zacharius and clutching a clipboard. Sophie let out a muffled squeal and hurtled back to the equipment shelves, installing her gear at an incredible speed.

Alex strode to her side while adjusting her gear. "This is just my hunch," she said, eyeing Sophie suspiciously, "does your dream to join Survey Corps have something to do with Commander Erwin?"

"Let's discuss it later, now it's time for training!" said Sophie eagerly, her face positively glowing with delight; she just finished filling her gas cylinders. "All right! I'll do my best!" Then she ran off and disappeared among the throng.

"What's she so excited about?" Emory asked as he started to load the blades into the scabbard. "She looked like she was about to cry out of boredom a moment ago."

"I've no idea," said Alex, checking the valves of her gas cylinders and making a mental note to interrogate her after the training was over.

After all the preparations had been completed, the recruits filed out of the warehouse, marching straight into the forest. Sophie already stood on the start line, her blades unsheathed.

"Do you want to bet?" said Emory quietly to Gerard as they lined up. "Alex will clear all the targets and finish in less than ten minutes."

"God damn it, are you serious?" asked Gerard, smirking. "I thought we're done taking advantage of our friend."

Emory offered a handshake. "Not until I get my money back for all the sandwiches," he said firmly.

"You're still salty with that?" Gerard cackled and shook his hand. "Game on! Mine is—

"What are you doing?" said Alex, suddenly squeezing herself between them. Seeing them shaking hands with almost identical grins on their faces, she groaned. "You two are betting on me again…"

Erwin blew his whistle. The fact that all the higher ups, including the Commander who rarely stepped outside his office, were observing their training made the recruits soar into the sky with a highly charged atmosphere that led up to several brutal crashes in midair, too much swearing, and a lot of scathing retorts about foul play; everyone was evidently trying to do their best. By the end of the practice, Erwin was generally satisfied with their performances: all of them were particularly good with the titans hunting with the top ten graduates dominating the highest scores, but no one accomplished full marks except Alex, who had outflown everyone, slashed all the targets with incredible speed and spectacular maneuvers and passed the finish line in less than ten minutes.

"It's rare to see such promising soldiers joining us," said Erwin as he dismounted and led his horse to the stables. "Especially the one with the most troublesome history."

Beside him, Levi tied his horse's rein to the peg. "Are you talking about Alex?"

"I've checked her civilian records," said Erwin as they strode across the yard toward the fence on the perimeter. "An orphanage in Wall Maria took her in after she fled from the Millford Manor, and she stayed there until she was of age for military enrollment."

"So that's where she went…" said Levi thoughtfully. "What of it?"

"It makes me wonder where she learned how to fight. She's too excellent for her own good. It's a bit off, don't you think?"

Levi cast him a suspicious look. "Why are you so interested in her?"

"Why are you so interested with my interest in her?"

"Because the only interest you have is collecting strong pawns for your plans," said Levi, leaning against the fence and staring dispassionately at the recruits who were getting ready for the next training. "That's what made you interested with me in the first place."

"Hey!" Hange Zoe screamed, leaping over the fence to join them. "How's the training going?" And without waiting for an answer, "Can I have Alex in my squad?" she asked hopefully to Erwin. "I really need an assistant—"

"She's in mine, shitty glasses," said Levi abruptly.

"—for documenting research the progress," Hange continued as if Levi had not spoken. "I tell you, she's been a great help. She's the best assistant ever, only second to Moblit, and my next project is probably the biggest experiment I'll ever commence and I'm a bit short-handed so I need extra soldiers in my squad, especially her!"

"And I need a moment of silence to concentrate on grading the recruits," said Erwin, turning a sheet on his clipboard. "Will you kindly stop talking until I finish?"

Hange pursed her lips and crossed her arms. The next evaluation was hand-to-hand combat, which was a good exercise to sharpen reflexes and maintain stamina but obviously useless against titans. Even the recruits thought so; because the 3DM Gear practice had drained most of their energy, no one looked very enthusiastic to begin the drill as Mike instructed them to divide into pairs. Emory just put up a fight and gave what he believed as an acceptable amount of effort before being thrown a few feet away by Kenneth. He landed safely on both feet and appeared to be completely untroubled when Mike declared that he lost the match. Sophie, who kept glancing over her shoulder to where Erwin stood, launched violent attacks with an evident desire to win and nearly dislocated her opponent's pelvis. Alex was partnered with Gerard; she won effortlessly, whereas Gerard was so lousy in hand-to-hand combat it was impossible that he had passed the military boot camp or he simply did not have the heart to hurt her. To nobody's surprise, Alex and Kenneth were the last two standing for the final match.

Forty seven seconds later, Alex was victorious.

"It's almost silly to not give her full marks in every practice," said Erwin, making a small note on his clipboard.

"Why do you need to supervise the training?" asked Hange, watching Mike struggling to hold back Kenneth, who seemed desperate for a rematch.

"I just need to make sure what they're capable of so they won't die too fast on their first expedition," said Erwin casually, flipping the sheet and reading every note he had written down. "The squad placement is quite problematic."

"Oh, I know, put them under his command!" Hange suggested excitedly, looking at Levi. "Young soldiers always look up to you. I'm sure working with you will boost their morale."

"I hate new recruits," said Levi.

"Then give Alex to me, will you?" said Hange expectantly.

Levi frowned. "I hate new recruits but I hate it more if they die because of your fooleries."

"Give her to me and I promise I'll do my best to take care of her."

"Don't talk about her like she's an abandoned cat." He glared at her. "She'll definitely die faster if she's with you."

"No way, I need her alive! I'll keep her safe without a single scratch! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"As if you won't order her to help you catch titans. Just be grateful I still let her help you with your research reports."

"That's it!" Hange pointed a finger at his face. "That's the proof that it's more beneficial to humanity if she's with me than with you!"

Levi stood bolt upright and took several steps closer to her. "Are you saying I don't do anything useful for the corps?!" he said indignantly.

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty damn sure you don't," said Hange with a scoff. "You abuse your power for personal gain! All she's been doing under your orders are cleaning your office, washing your bed sheets and brewing tea twice a day!"

"That's enough," said Erwin sharply, staring at both of them. The last few days had not been too pleasant for him. Hange and Levi always began to argue whenever they were in close proximity and he had grown weary of their endless bickering over staffing problems. "Hange, your squad already has the most soldiers of all. You can't get anymore soldiers."

Hange turned to Erwin and looked him in the eye. "Transfer her to my squad, please?" she said. "For the sake of humanity? I really need her like I need air to breath."

"You know the protocols," said Erwin. "Transfers between squads need permission from the superior in charge, so it's up to Levi to decide—"

"—and of course I will say no," Levi continued. "Quit loitering, four-eyes. Go play with titans or something."

Hange threw Levi a nasty look then quickly stared imploringly at Erwin again, who shook his head. Erwin's last ultimatum was obviously still fresh in her mind so that she jumped over the fence and headed back to the castle without another protest.

"Have you grown fond of her?" said Erwin.

"What do you mean?" asked Levi.

"Why do you so keen to keep her away from Hange? She seems genuinely enjoying all the works with titan experiment."

"I care for my subordinates," he replied with the same reason he had been repeating for a million times.

Erwin cast him an appraising look for a brief moment, and said, "Yes, I'm sure you do." He smiled faintly and passed him the clipboard. "I have to go. Please continue the evaluation."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere important."

Before Levi could ask more Erwin had climbed over the fence and left.

Scowling, Levi clutched the clipboard and trod to the yard. Mike had granted a rematch; Kenneth and Alex were tussling fiercely and the latter had the upper hand when she managed to swipe his foot off the ground. Levi peered over the exultant spectators at the moment she secured her victory; she grinned like a Cheshire cat over Kenneth, who had been pinned down in a brilliant straight-arm bar. Levi smirked; a soldier who easily kicked everyone's ass really suited her better than a weeping little girl. Alex looked up at Levi, and their eyes met for a moment. She released her opponent and got to her feet, smiling at him as she hurrying past him to the next training ground. Even though she was covered with dirt, her hair was matted, her damp bangs plastered to her forehead and there was a large smudge of earth on her face, Levi couldn't help but to find her smile utterly sweet.

* * *

**-A week before 30****th**** Expedition-**

Expedition meant a lot of preparations and rehearsals, because a tiny flaw in the plan and the smallest blunder could mean an annihilation of the entire brigade, but no other officers were half as busy as Hange Zoe. Not only did she have to deal with immense and toilsome paperwork as the squad leader of the fourth squad, her titan research required full attention and she was always completely absorbed in her study that she usually forgot to eat, sleep, and take a bath. She usually fell asleep in her office, drooling on her desk, and was surrounded by enormous books, charts and diagrams of research results, and file upon file of logistics reports. She definitely would have died because of the strain of overwork if her personal squad had not intervened to take over some of her work. Hange dubbed her personal squad as 'The Holy Chosen Few', self-sacrificing saints who had greatly contributed to unravel the mysteries of titans, while the other soldiers called her personal squad as 'The Miserable Chosen Few', which was more appropriate. Just imagining all the dead threats that had waited for them in the outside world, doubled with overwhelming workload from commencing experiment, and tripled with the obligation to keep an eye on the eccentric scientist all the time, misery was the best word of choice to represent Hange's personal squad.

And today, Hange summoned the four of them, along with Alex as the guest of honor, in her office for the last briefing.

"Okay, this is the plan," said Hange, tapping the map on the board with a ruler. "If the expedition goes well, we'll have two opportunities for night observation. First, in the forest around Dieburg Fortress, where we'll test the prototype of my trap, and second, we'll be scouting the forest around Rotwand Hill, which means, we'll commence two separate experiment in a limited amount of time. Nifa, I leave you with the preparations for the scouting. Matt and Keiji, you two handle all the logistics, I expect you'll find a way to dismantle my trap for transport without breaking the important parts. And Moblit" — she pointed the ruler straight at him — "whatever I'll do, don't scream or yell at me to back away. No matter what will happen, don't, make a sound, at all. Just stay behind me and write down whatever I'll be saying. Understand?"

Moblit Berner nodded stiffly, but the moment Hange turned to the board and resumed her explanation, he looked around at his squadmates as though asking for moral support: Keiji clapped his back noiselessly; Matt shook his head, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with the tip of his jacket; Nifa kept taking notes but gave him a _'just-do-whatever-she-says' _sort of look from the corner of her eyes. It seemed their motivations to stick with the whole grueling procedures solely fueled by the commitment to keep their squad leader alive rather than to learn something about titans.

"I'd love to check all of these spots, but it will be impossible," Hange went on, staring at the map. "Alex, which place should we check first? The east or northwest?"

"I'll say northwest," said Alex, pointing the dot with the notation _'biggest nope ever'_. "The terrain is more convenient for utilizing 3DM Gear, if things go awry. And the titans there are not as hostile as in the east, which is mostly occupied by Deviants."

Alex was more than excited to participate in the upcoming experiment; however, Hange had finally given up the idea to recruit her. After persistent wheedling and pleading, restocking all the cleaning supplies, and even bribing with the finest black tea on the market, which had cost two months paycheck, Hange had grudgingly accepted that the only way she could free Alex from Levi's grasp was to ask him for a duel to kill.

"This is so much work…" Hange grumbled after the briefing was over. She packed her things and trudged out of her office. "So many things I've to do in one night. If only I had more manpower…"

Alex trotted behind her, clutching thick documents. "No other soldiers ever volunteered to help you, ma'am?"

"Nope, how could they don't understand such beauty?!" said Hange dramatically. "I wonder what is wrong with their lives."

Alex refrained from saying that not the slightest bit of titans had anything to do with beauty but decided to not challenge Hange's peculiar views. "Maybe they don't have interest in titans," she commented after Hange had jabbered relentlessly all the way to her laboratory.

"Yeah, shame on them." Hange unlocked the door at the end of the corridor and pushed it open. "All right, here it is! My lab!"

Alex set a foot inside and looked around; her first impression was the laboratory was so sinister that children would run away from it in tears. The shaft of light from the wide window revealed a stuffy, crammed and dusty room lined with shelves of books along the wall. Research equipments—piles of moldy-looking books, old microscopes, Bunsen burners, beakers, funnels, glass tubes, and vats of colorful chemicals—were scattered on a long wooden workbench in the center. However, the eerie atmosphere emitted from the various extraneous objects in the room: hideous sketches of titans in different size were pinned on the wide blackboard on the wall, Alex recognized a few of her drawings were there too; cases full of jars in which floated icky bits of unknown specimens stood beside the door; an assorted selection of maces, spears, swords, battleaxes, war hammers, and many other archaic weapons were on display behind the desk under the window, she thought those weapons were enough to defend the palace of the King, or break into it. In a corner—beside a crate filled with mallets, metal stakes and long harpoons—the hazardous-looking metal equipments, which she had seen in Hange's bedroom, had been assembled with thick cords into something like a gigantic net.

"It's always a mess like this so don't bother cleaning it up, it will be a total destruction again in the next second," said Hange, moving very carefully to the desk so as to avoid knocking over stuff. "Thank goodness Levi never came here. Take a look around as you like, maybe there's something you'll be interested, but don't touch the bottommost drawer of my desk if you still prefer your limbs attach to your body."

Alex dropped the documents on the workbench and her attention was drawn to the pile of books. "Can I read this?" she asked excitedly.

"Read whatever you like," said Hange as she began to sign reports on her desk. "Most of them are my science books. I don't know if you'll like it."

"Ma'am, this is wonderful!" Alex sat down and pulled the topmost book, starting to scan the first chapter. After a few minutes, she asked. "So, formaldehyde didn't work for titans?"

"Nope, nothing could delay the evaporation," Hange answered from behind the barricade of piling reports, "that's why I never got valuable samples."

"I see… I understand where you got the idea to capture and dissect them alive, but have you ever thought of another preservative?"

"I'm glad you ask!" Hange hurried to the workbench and opened the largest book. "Here! Take a look at my journal, I've made a list of all possible chemicals for preservation!"

And an hour passed with both of them delightedly discussing the new method to obtain samples, the chance of success for capturing titans in the next expedition, and Hange fervently abusing the finance department for turning down her request to buy new laboratory equipments (all the reports on the desk had been forgotten). It was after Alex suggested raising funds from the nobles to cover the shortfall costs that Hange suddenly became quiet.

"Can I ask you something?" Hange said after a moment of consideration.

"Go ahead, ma'am," said Alex, eyes still boring to the journal.

"Levi told me that you are orphaned since very young age. You lived in the forest for quite long time, caught up in human trafficking and worked for noble families in Wall Sina before joining military. Is that true?"

Alex felt her stomach twisting in knots and quickly looked at Hange. This was the last topic on earth she wanted to discuss, ever. She hated talking about ancient history, especially her ancient history. Why not just let the past stayed in the past?

"Umm… What about it?"

Hange leaned closer. "I can safely assume you never went to school, right?"

"No… I never went to such place," said Alex quietly.

"You never got formal education, but you're _educated_," Hange concluded, prodding her glasses and staring at Alex with professional interest. "You can read and write, and I don't think many teenagers of your age could even spell formaldehyde. How did you learn that?"

"Oh, it's…a long story…" Alex rolled her eyes to the journal again without really reading the words.

"Yes, I bet it is. Do you mind telling me?"

Alex knew better than to hope that Hange would drop the topic before she was satisfied. Once she was interested in something, there was no turning back. Lying was not a safe option. Eccentric beyond common sense though she might, Hange was a keen observer and could assess many things accurately in a single glance as if she could read a person or a situation as easily as reading a book. There would be no fooling this woman in any way.

And Alex hated lying, too, more than anything else.

"Can you keep secrets?"

Hange smiled. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Alex heaved, closing the journal and looking at Hange again. "Before I wandered alone in the forest, I once lived with someone, a very long time ago, in the outskirt the southern region of Wall Maria. He took care of me for a few years, I think… He was the one who taught me how to read and write."

"Was?"

"He's gone," said Alex tersely.

"Oh…" Hange nodded, fixing Alex with kindly look. "I'm sorry. Was he your relative?"

"No, I don't have family." Alex stared at the shelves in front of her. "But, I think he also had lot of books… I remember he had a library in his house, and a laboratory like yours. I think he also had a few science books… He always let me read anything I wanted."

"Well, sounds like a nice person."

"Oh, yes, he was a very good person. I really like him. His name was—"

A rap on the door distracted their conversation. Moblit peeked into the lab.

"Squad Leader," he said, "meeting in five minutes."

"Damn! I completely forgot!" Hange stood up and strode to the door. "You can stay here, but lock the door on your way out," she told Alex.

"Yes, ma'am," said Alex, extremely glad with the interruption, picking another book to read.

"Alex, you come too," said Moblit. "Captain Levi said Commander Erwin wanted you to attend the meeting."

"Why?" said Hange and Alex in unison.

Moblit shook his head. Greatly bewildered, Alex followed Hange upstairs, concentrating hard on what she could have done that would make Erwin summon her. She never skipped training anymore and had done everything Levi had commanded her to do, regardless how absurd his orders were. So she was sure all of this was a mistake. Heedless of all the other high-rank officers staring at her with incredulity, she rushed across the conference room straight to the man seated at the long oval table, who looked positively bored to death.

"Captain Levi," said Alex breathlessly, "why does Commander need me in this meeting?"

"Hell if I know," Levi replied, gesturing her to sit next to him.

"What does he want me for?" She glanced back and forth to Levi and Hange. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Hange sat on Levi's other side. "If you are, then you'll be in detention room, not here," she said with a frown. "Maybe he needs you to do something for expedition."

"Do what?"

"Do whatever bizarre plan he has inside his head," said Levi, sounding very annoyed. "Like the last time."

"Like the last time," Hange repeated petulantly through gritted teeth. "How dare he deceive us — including you, Alex. He got a filthy rich noble in his pocket and he didn't bother to tell us. That man is a demon hiding behind a handsome mask."

Alex sat down and looked at Erwin's vacant seat. Killing titans was the only thing she could do for expedition and absolutely not a topic important enough to be brought up in an official meeting.

Half an hour had passed, and his chair was still empty.

"Erwin is really late," said Hange impatiently, tapping her fingers on the table. "What the heck is he doing?"

"He's probably taking a huge shit and his hemorrhoid just started to bleed," said Levi in a bored voice.

"Really, sir?!" Alex gasped, jumping from her chair. "I'm gonna inform the medics!"

She was about to rush out of the door to infirmary wing when Levi snatched the scruff of her neck.

"It's a joke," he said flatly.

Alex whipped around; sure she had misheard him. "Oh… A joke? Really?"

"You can't tell I was joking?" said Levi, looking at her questioningly as if she was mentally challenged.

Alex swiftly sank back into the chair. "No… I can't… I didn't even think you were capable of making jokes, sir—I mean—you always say everything in a monotone, and with that impassive face, and that scowl. And a joke about hemorrhoid is ridiculous and inappropriate. What if Commander is really sick and—"

A menacing glint in his grey eyes made her gulp down the rest of her sentences. Hange sniggered into her hands.

"I'm sorry!" said Alex, feeling her cheeks uncomfortably hot. "Well—umm—you've got a peculiar sense of humor then. I don't understand why you think hemorrhoid is funny, to be honest, it was a pretty lame joke" — Levi glared at her — "b-b-but w-whatever, s-sir—it's up to you—I will, I will stop talking right now…" she muttered, looking down at her lap.

"That will be fucking great," said Levi irritably then turned to Hange, who was clutching her stomach and rocking back and forth on her chair. "What are you laughing at, shitty glasses?!" he snarled.

Both of them exchanged mocking remarks, and Alex had to admire Hange's guts for blatantly making fun of Levi's toilet jokes without looking remotely frightened by his murderous glare. Their bickering almost reached its breaking point when the door flew open and Erwin came bustling in, wearing a traveling cloak and looking very tired but somewhat pleased. He quickly took off his cloak and plumped himself on the last vacant chair, apologized for the delay and started the meeting.

Turned out, the meeting was awfully tedious with each division presenting and reporting all the preparations. Alex found it so repetitive and uninteresting that she didn't attempt to follow what anyone was saying after twenty minutes. By the time the meeting almost ended, drowsiness had taken over her head and her anticipation was gradually flooding out of her. She leaned against her chair and gazed out of the window, wondering, thinking… Just in a week… In one more week… She could be free…

"Oi."

Startled, she turned to Levi, who was scowling at her, and it took her a few seconds before she realized that everyone had fallen silent.

"Er—what, sir?"

"Pay attention, brat." Levi jerked his head. "Erwin is talking to you."

Panic started to rise again as she sat up straight. It looked like Erwin was in the middle of explaining the map on the wall, his eyes staring at Alex with expectation.

"Cadet Ritter, what do you think about our route?" he asked, pointing to the thick black line on the map.

Alex was stunned, wondering if he was really sick and his judgment had been altered. "Commander, you're asking…my opinion for expedition route?" she said in disbelief.

"Yes, you're the only one who knows the exact situation on the field," he said. "I made this new route based on your map. What do you think? Is it safe enough?"

Now that she had mustered all energy necessary to focus her attention and think, she realized the map had the same notations as the one he had given to Erwin. Someone in his right mind would never make a dramatic change in the plan based on scouting information collected by a greenhorn. Evidently all the other officers also thought that this was a joke as skeptical muttering erupted around the table. There were a lot of objections about changing the usual direct route, which had been established for years, and doubting whether Alex's information was reliable or not. Erwin held up a hand. The room fell silent.

"I know this is unprecedented, but how many of us have traveled the outside world alone and survived? Her opinions are worth considered." Erwin glanced around before fixing her eyes at Alex again. "Your comment, Cadet,"

"Oh, well—actually—" Alex paused and leaned forward; it was rather hard to talk coherently while all those eyes upon her. "I think this is good…" she said then paused again, staring at the map for a full minute. "But if I may suggest, Commander, once we depart from Shiganshina, we shouldn't go straight to the south, try to move a bit to the west…"

In the next a quarter of an hour, Alex ended up correcting the whole expedition route, suggesting alternative courses and a roundabout route where there was fewer titans' activity. Erwin made adjustments here and there, sometimes questioning the route she had picked and the two of them engaged in lengthy discussion which no one in the meeting room had the confidence to join in or interrupt, or they simply could not follow the flow of conversation, looking dazed when Erwin finally accepted her reasoning and drew a new line from the position she had suggested.

"…And so," finished Alex. "There's a big chance that we won't encounter a lot of titans after that point until we can start deploying the scouting formation." She looked around the table to meet the unconvinced faces. "It's a long detour — but don't worry—" she reassured hastily. "Really, it's safer, I've walked that route. It saved my life last month."

Nobody was able to produce an argument on this point.

"Thank you, Cadet Ritter," said Erwin, returning to his seat and looking pleased. "Well, I guess we've settled the matter. Our preparations are complete as of today. Any other objections?"

Alex had expected there would be an uproar of protests, but the room filled with murmurs of agreement. Maybe her explanations were convincing enough, or maybe they trusted Erwin so much that they would follow whatever his order was, no matter how preposterous. Beside her, Levi gave her an approving look, and Hange raised a thumb and winked at her. Finally, the long and boring meeting ended with a few words from the Commander.

"Our previous expedition was disappointing. We gained nothing from it. Nothing but an addition to the Survey Corps' long history of failure," he said with the calmest, most matter-of-fact tone of voice. "However, we have been given another chance to fight. We'll make the next expedition successful no matter what will happen. I put a lot of faith in all of you."

Alex smiled, looked out of the window again, and mumbled to herself, "Yes, I'll make the next mission successful no matter what happen."

* * *

**-Four days before 30****th**** Expedition-**

If she could speak to God, she would beg to be reborn as a bird.

It was not fair, Alex thought, why did God make humans to crawl on the earth? For all of her lifetime, she always wondered how it felt like to have wings and soar high to the sky. She dreamt that one day she could spread her wings and take flight to a place, anywhere, somewhere she belongs, far away from the Walls. Granted, her wish had come true, partially; she didn't get a new life, to her utter disillusionment, but at the very least, she finally got something close enough to a pair of wings. The gear whirred loudly and emitted wisp of smoke from its exhausted valve as she pressed the switch deeper, longer, reaching the maximum acceleration. She swung between the trees and propelled herself toward the fiery afternoon sky. Higher and higher, she rose into the sky, for just a moment she was airborne. It was not just a dream anymore; she flew, the wind whipped her face, her heart drumming in her chest. Everything looked so much better from the height. The sky was brighter, the world was more beautiful, and the air she breathed was different. The sensation that streamed inside her body was beyond words, and maybe, just maybe, this was what the freedom felt like…

In the blinding light of sunset, she narrowed her eyes at the thin line of Wall Rose. The idea of freedom slipped out of her head.

What was the point of having wings if she couldn't even step outside the gate?

The indiscernible feeling from a split second before had dissipated without a trace as though it never existed when the gravity pulled her down, pulled her back to where she was supposed to, pulled her dream back to the reality.

The wings meant nothing if she was not free.

She descended in a smooth motion that best describe as 'graceful falling'. Breaking through the canopy of leaves, she shot the hooks and made a hairpin swerve, hurtling to the edge of the forest. Along the way, she caught a glimpsed of a titan dummy stood between the trees on the far left; perhaps someone accidentally left it after the training. Alex drew the blades and darted toward the dummy.

She was about to slash the nape when another soldier dove from above, aiming straight at the nape, too, and it seemed he did not realize that Alex was between the tip of his blades and the dummy until the moment they almost collided. Reflexively, Alex spun around and swung her blades upward, the sound of clashing metal echoed, followed with angry swearing. She retreated to the nearest branch while the soldier perched onto a tree next to her.

"Fucking hell!" he yelled, looking outraged. "What the fuck are you doing?! Don't come out of nowhere like that!"

"Captain Levi?!" said Alex, very surprised.

Levi cut the nape and landed beside her. "Damn it brat, I almost cut you in half," he said with a mingled of dread and anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was your target!" said Alex. "Sir, are you practicing?"

"Are you blind?"

"Oh… You still do training, really?"

"Of course I do. If a titan shows up here tomorrow, lack of training means that I'll have to pay this deed with my own life. Why are you so shocked?"

"I never thought top ace soldier like you still does 3DM Gear practice."

"Practice is essential," said Levi, sheathing his blades. "When it comes to battling against the titans, there's no difference between a commander and a new recruit. Even Erwin still does basic training, though he's been extremely busy. And I've missed a lot of training because of this goddamn injury." He rubbed his shoulder, winced a little then looked at her. "What are you doing here? Cadets training ended an hour ago."

"Just some extra practice before the expedition," she admitted. "I've also missed a lot of training."

"Let's call it a day," he commanded. "That was the last dummy."

By the time they were out of the forest, the sky above had turned dusky red with a few tiny twinkling stars and lights glimmered from the windows of the castle like rows of fireflies.

"I've read your file from the boot camp," said Levi as they walked across the back yard toward the warehouse. "All instructors praised you like a saint."

Alex almost laughed; that was a phrase she had heard far too often. "They think too highly of me. I'm not that special," she said in a flat voice. "Got any tips for the expedition, Captain?"

"Try your best to not die," he said forthright. "You're doing very well so far."

She laughed a little. "I'm not so sure about it, anything could happen out there. What else?"

"Kill all the titans, obviously it will be a cinch for you since they can't make you cower in fear."

"I'm not afraid of titans," said Alex at once; though her first meeting with a titan had given her mixed feelings, oddly, fear was not one of them. "At least there's no reason to be afraid of them. They are so predictable and don't make compromises. They're true to their own nature: kill humans. I mean, they're weird-looking and destructive, but once we know how to incapacitate—"

"God damn it, stop that," said Levi crossly. "For the sake of my sanity, just stop. Don't say any more nonsense about titans. One Hange is more than enough for me to bear."

"Why are you always so rude to Squad Leader Hange?" she asked out of curiosity; as far as she could remember, the interactions between Hange and Levi ranged between indecent teasing to borderline warfare.

"I can't stand her babbling," he said with exasperation in every syllable. "Something is really wrong with her head. She cares more about titans than she cares about herself, acting all friendly, carefree and kind to them as if they were her long lost best friends. What a sick, twisted woman with —"

"Please don't talk about her like that," said Alex with mild indignation, but maintained a tone of politeness. "I don't understand why everyone always has the wrong impressions about her."

Levi glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"For a starter, she is not as cheerful as what she seems to be."

"She is the happiest motherfucker I have ever had the misfortunate to meet."

"I think she is a very depressed person," said Alex, voice hushed, wary to be overheard even though no one was around them.

"If that reckless titan-obsessed freak is depressed, the entire human race would have been extinct because of mass suicide," Levi retorted.

"Yes, she is positively obsessed with titans. She talks about them day and night. Do you know she wept on her desk when she read my reports? She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever read."

"What a nutter," he snorted.

"People can be a bit crazy about their predilections," she answered blithely. "But…unlike me, Squad Leader Hange's obsession in titans doesn't seem to come out of pure curiosity," she added woefully. "It was born from something deeper, but whatever caused her obsession with titans are not pleasant things. You know what, sir? I think she's obsessed with finding answers about titans' existence. She spends so much time and energy to study them; her dedications are very admirable, but people regard all her hard work as useless, or worse, they think she's just doing it for fun. It's hurtful to her, you know, and very sad too… I don't know why people are always avoiding and alienating her, once she stops talking about titans, she's actually a very good person."

Alex halted her speech, realizing she had talked more than she had intended. She kept trudging across the back yard beside Levi, who made no comment, either he did not care or he was not listening to her rambling at all, but when she glanced at him, he crossed his arms and looked deep in thought, his eyes staring at the ground.

"She may never tell you about this, but I got a feeling she considers you as a friend," Alex continued, smiling at him. "She doesn't mind when you call her with rude and insulting names, even when you openly express your distaste at her. I think she enjoys your company, including when you two bicker all the time. She also told me she was really devastated when she thought you were dead on the last expedition."

Clearly the information about how Hange felt about him never crossed his mind before. He seemed bewildered, staring intently at Alex as if she just spoke in another language he never heard of.

"You're not fucking around with me, right?" said Levi, sounding a bit annoyed but also curious.

Alex shook her head.

"Why do you think she's depressed?" he asked, opening the warehouse door and striding inside. "Her attitude is always jubilantly irritating."

"She's generally very bubbly, appears to be most chirpy person, but to me, she always look very sad," said Alex, starting to take off her gear. "I don't know why she dedicates her life to study titans, but my best guess is her obsession was born from her hatred. She really hates titans with a burning passion."

Levi had stopped from disconnecting the gas cylinders from his gear and focused his full attention to Alex. "How do you know that?"

"I see it in her eyes," said Alex simply.

He squinted his eyes. "You can do something like that?"

"I learn to do it in order to survive," Alex admitted. "I'm scared of people—I mean—I never know what they will do to me, you know, just, I don't feel safe around people—not that I mistrust you or anything—" she added briskly. "I'm not talking sense right now, am I?" She turned around and stored the scabbard into a crate. "I'm sorry, just forget it, sir…"

"I know what you're talking about," he said instantly, resuming disengaging his gear. "Your nerves are constantly on the edge. You keep reading people and asking yourself what they hide inside their pockets, or behind their backs, or whether they will kill you or not after behaving too nice and kind. You can't trust them, and it's almost like everybody is your enemy."

Alex looked at him, wondering how he could figure it out, and decided it was not wise to pursue the matter at this moment because he was staring unfocusedly at the dusty gas tanks and seemed to be brooding over something unpleasant. "Yes, pretty much like that," she finally said. "I've met too many people whose speech and action don't match at all."

"Me too," he said, stowing his gear into the shelf. "You're not afraid of me?"

"No, you're not scary" she said with a giggle. "Though that scowl is very intimidating, and your glare is—"

Alex clapped her hands to her mouth, wishing he could take back her words and preparing herself for the upcoming rants. However, Levi didn't seem perturbed by it. He looked her dead in the eye and walked closer until they just stood a few inches apart.

"What do you see in me?" he asked.

"Um… You want me to tell you, about yourself?" said Alex hesitantly.

"So I'll know you're not bullshitting with me about shitty glasses."

There was a solemn stillness between them where they did nothing but stare at each other. The flickering fire from the torches shone upon his face. So many things were hidden in the depths of his grey eyes: they were usually indifferent and cold; sometimes they blazed with anger, and became dangerously vicious at some point; but she also recently witnessed that those eyes could be so warm and caring. She had never been this close to him, like she had never been wrong about him. From the first moment they met, she knew he was not a bad person, and she was right. His eyes always told the truth, and perhaps, there were still too many things she had not seen… Too many things she had not understood…

"You're very strong," she said softly, smiling.

"That's as plain as a day," he scoffed. "Is that the best you could do?"

"I'm not talking about your excellent combat skills—"

The bell rang throughout the castle ground; Alex jerked and Levi swore angrily. He muttered something about a meeting with Erwin and rushed out of the warehouse.

"Oh, Captain," Alex called, "about Squad Leader Hange, I just think it will be better if you treat her nicely once in a while. It will mean so much to her."

He said nothing, but she saw him moving his head in an almost imperceptible nod.

"And you better get rid of that shitty self-deprecation," he said from the door. "You're good. Have some pride in yourself."

Alex watched him vanished into the darkness before continuing to sort out her maneuver gear. Something was unusual in his voice; she couldn't decipher what it really was, but his words didn't sound like a command. It was spoken with concern and…did he just compliment her? That was very kind of him, she thought, to say such a nice thing. Her comrades would be so jealous of her if they knew Levi praised her ability. But instead of making her proud, his words made her feel sickening hollow in the pit of her stomach as if they just pierced through her and left her insides bleeding.

"I was just saying the truth," she muttered, shoving her gas cylinders into the crate with clank noises. "I'm not good. I don't need pride."

Her eyes surveyed the deserted rows of shelves and stacks of crates. The dinner must have started by now, but the only thing she felt was a dull pain that had nothing to do hunger. Trying to do everything as slow as possible to avoid the crowded mess hall, she bent down to store her gear in the bottommost shelf, a necklace suddenly slipped out of her collar. A dull silver ring hung before her eyes. She twiddled it between her thumb and index finger as she straightened up then grasped it until she felt her palm numbing.

"I'm just anonymous… I'm just alone…" she whispered, taking a deep breath and tucking the ring down the front of her shirt. "I'm just a lost being in this twisted world."

After thoroughly checking her gear twice, she was unable to find any more excuses to delay. She locked the door and left the warehouse. "Four days…" she whispered, "just four more days and I shall be free."

She trotted off to the castle and looked up to the sky: The night sky littered with twinkling stars was not as beautiful as the sky she saw in the outside world.

* * *

**Revamped: December 31st**

**Author's Note 12/25/15: Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! Happy Holiday! Thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Attack on Titan: Left Behind**

**Chapter 10**

**-Year 845, the day of Survey Corps 30****th**** Expedition beyond the Wall-**

Beams of sunshine passed through the high mullioned windows into the castle. The sky was clear, nearly cloudless, only a few streaks of wispy clouds appeared over the horizon, circling the rising sun; strong wind rippled the grass and gusted through the yellowish-red foliages of the trees, autumn leaves soaring high along with the boisterously chirping birds. The morning couldn't have been more beautiful; it looked as if the universe was bestowing good luck for today's expedition, but no matter how friendly and encouraging the weather tried to be, it failed to brighten up the dismal atmosphere that plagued the almost noiseless mess hall.

The veterans talked indistinctly over their breakfast, discussing and confirming last minute preparations, some lost in their own speculations, some just concentrated on what they were eating. They looked alert, somewhat nervous, but nonetheless there was a certain air of readiness upon them; years of experience had provided them with confidence to make it through the day. The recruits, however, sat up rigidly in strained silence with resigned expression on their pallid faces that might suggest they were about to line up for gallows. None of them spoke much since yesterday, black sags under their eyes told how restless their sleep last night. Many plates left untouched. It seemed all of them had trouble to swallow as if they were gnawing rocks instead of gruel and bread (on the contrary, Alex was as bright as the sun outside and already finished her meal). But none of them was half as disgruntled and morose as Kenneth, who seemed had been force-fed with gallons of unbearably bitter poison.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Gerard, with a pat on Kenneth's shoulder. "Let bygones be bygones. What if I'm the one who'll die first today and the last thing you ever said to me was I'm a traitorous double-crossing asshole?"

He quickly retracted his hand as Kenneth spared him a hateful look.

"You betrayed me," said Kenneth, voice low, shoveling his gruel with unnecessary ferocity.

Gerard seemed resisting the temptation to smack his head with a bowl. "For Heaven's sake, dude, _this is not my fault!_"

"Shut up," Kenneth hissed, a muscle in his jaw twitched. "Stay away from me."

The squad placement was announced a couple days ago and most of the recruits were stationed in relay teams except the top ten graduates. Much to Kenneth's fury, Gerard was placed in Levi's Squad with Alex, while he, Sophie and Emory was placed under direct command of Mike Zacharius, temporarily replacing the original member of Mike's Squad. Kenneth had permanent awful mood and snapped to anyone who annoyed him since then, but no one suffered worse from his rage like Gerard, whom he believed had done nothing worthy to serve under Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Since the military boot camp, Gerard had never taken any drills seriously, had not bother to do extra hour of training and his habits had not changed even with the prospect of fighting titans very soon, in contrast with Kenneth who always practiced every day like there was no tomorrow, working his ass off until all his muscles sore as if he was preparing himself for a solo raid into a mobster's den. It was not fair, but the chain of commands was inviolable. Tension condensed dreadfully on the table. Kenneth was muttering vile accusations under his breath; Gerard was whispering retorts back at him, his half-eaten meal was forgotten. Emory opened his mouth to say something then pressed his lips together, a second later, he continued to eat, apparently had decided it was not worth wasting his energy to make a conciliatory approach. Sophie bit the inside of her cheeks, evidently trying to not laugh or smile, which would further worsen the situation, but couldn't hold it any longer and pretended to choke on bread as an excuse to turn her giggle into a cough. Alex was expecting something interesting would happen, like flipping table or tussling on the floor (she and Kenneth had too many fights on mealtimes back in the academy and most of them ended spectacularly with flying table and broken chairs) and was mildly disappointed when Gerard and Kenneth only quarreling as quiet as possible, so she gazed out of the window and ate Gerard's gruel.

The bell rang, followed by the sound of scrapping chair against the floor as the soldiers got up and concurrent muffled shrieks of surprise from the recruits. Soldiers filed out of the mess hall to the front yard, checking their equipments and logistics, getting the horses ready, and loading supplies into the carts.

"You know the rules," said Gerard desperately, walking beside Kenneth, "but honestly, I will change squad with you if we can."

"Yeah, _only if_ we can," Kenneth snarled at him.

"Why are you blaming him?" said Alex to Kenneth. "It's really not his fault, you know, Commander Erwin is the one who arranged the squad placement. If you think his judgment is inequitable, maybe you should ask him why—"

"Fuck off, dwarf," Kenneth snapped, glaring at her and stalking away.

"What is his problem?" said Alex, completely clueless.

"Remember when you beat his final grade in the first year?" said Emory, checking his flares and signal pistols. "He didn't talk to you for a month. He can't stand another living being one step ahead of him."

"His personality is really horrible," said Sophie, patting Gerard on the back. "I never imagined he even had a row with you. I mean, how could he? You two are best friends."

"Ha ha. What do you think I've been doing all these years, Soph?" said Gerard with a grim smile. "Fighting is a part of bonding. We have a hell lot of fights, but anything could happen today…" he added uneasily.

"Just leave him alone for now," said Emory. "Give him some time, he'll be back to normal, eventually."

Gerard sighed. "I guess I have no choice…"

"He'll talk to you again, he always do in the end," Emory reassured, bumping his fist lightly on Gerard's shoulder. "Stop worrying about him. We've got much worse things to worry about today."

Emory and Sophie trod away, heading to the other side of the front yard where Kenneth was talking to Nanaba. Gerard picked up his belongings idly, looking even more miserable.

"His pride is really troublesome," Alex commented, helping him to pack his stuff. "You should stop begging for his forgiveness, he's not even listening to you."

"If I die today and we haven't made up, I'm one hundred percent sure he'll blame himself for what happen and live forever with the guilt," said Gerard in a hushed voice, heaving his knapsack. "I don't want that happen to him…"

"Oh… That's…very considerate," said Alex, quite taken aback with his reason. "After all the bad things he's done to you, why are you still so kind to him?"

Gerard put his hand around Alex's shoulder as they marched toward their squad. "He's an ass, but he's still my best buddy," he said solemnly. "He's like a brother to me but there are times I want to kick his face with my boot."

There were also times Alex had spent wondering how could two people with opposite personalities be best friends—one was definitely the second most kindhearted person she had ever met, and the other was like a spawn of devil; one more of the world's mysteries for her to solve. "But I thought Kenneth hated Captain Levi," she said. "He always calls him with insulting names like pipsqueak, sadistic runt, or a midget satan from hell. I don't understand why he wants to be in Levi's Squad."

"He won't admit it, but he really admires him," said Gerard, ruffling her hair. "And he admires you, too."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What? Seriously?"

"No kidding. One of the reasons he always challenges you is he tries to learn your impressive fighting style."

"Oh… And I'm under the impression that his lifetime goal is to beat me up until I lay unconscious in infirmary."

"He's basically hostile to everyone who is stronger than him."

Their squadmates were already double-checking the squad's logistics when they arrived: the black-haired female soldier, who had been promoted to Second-in-Command, was scribbling on a clipboard, and the other soldier was sifting through the supplies inside a crate.

"Whoa, The Soldier Who Lived is here," said Josef, grinning. His manner had improved considerably well toward Alex since her phenomenal return. "Don't pull another stunts like the last time or you're really gonna give me heart failure."

"I'll do my best to not jumping to the gorge again today," said Alex politely.

"What was that ruckus about? You recruits have a problem?" asked Flora, glancing at Gerard and Alex. "We don't have time for drama once we set off."

"Oh, that's just my friend, acting all whiny and sulky like a five years old," said Gerard, jerking his head to the direction of Mike's Squad. "He wants to be in Captain Levi's Squad."

"He shouldn't complaining about it," said Josef reproachfully, casting an annoyed look at Kenneth. "It's actually an honor for a mere recruit, Squad Leader Mike is amazing. He was the strongest soldier in Survey Corps before Captain Levi joined in."

"He has been serving the corps longer than Commander Erwin," Flora added, resuming her inspection. "The fastest one to be promoted to Team Leader, and he has become Squad Leader for years. Those are saying something about his leadership skill."

Alex nudged Gerard and smiled. "That may cheer him up."

"Miss, permission to be dismissed?" said Gerard. "I want to finish the drama before we set off."

Flora didn't tear her eyes from her clipboard as she inspected the next crate. "Yes, but be quick," she ordered. "Tell your friend it's time to grow up and act like a soldier."

In a last-ditch attempt to make a peace treaty, they sped off to Kenneth, who was checking his horse near the fence. Gerard reiterated everything about the awesomeness of Squad Leader Mike. Kenneth stared at the front gate, stony-faced, completely ignoring Gerard. Alex was at the end of her tether.

"Squad Leader Mike is a great soldier and awesome leader," she said in patronizing tone as though that settled the matter. "I was briefly under his command on the previous expedition, he's really strong. Miss Nanaba is a strict and serious soldier, but she's also caring and dependable. You always can come to her if you have problems. You're in a very great squad. Will you please stop being a jerk to Gerard? He doesn't deserve your annoying attitude."

Normally, that kind of condescending lecture from Alex would generate a world war, so it was rather surprising that Kenneth showed no indications that he even noticed they were there.

"Dude, are you okay?" said Gerard, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Tell me…" said Kenneth, rubbing his eyes then staring at the front gate again. "Am I dreaming, or is that really a noble carriage from Wall Sina?"

"Yes, it is," said Alex, who had seen many similar luxurious horse-drawn carriages at the ball.

The unexpected arrival of an unknown visitor interrupted the preparation process. More soldiers noticed it and halted their work, peering over and moving closer toward the gate to get a better look. Emory joined them at the fence while still coiling up heavy ropes with his hands.

"What do you reckon is that insignia?" asked Kenneth.

Emory squinted his eyes at the carriage door, which emblazoned with twin lions against crossing swords and shield. "Wait, wait, it looks very familiar… I've seen it before…"

"More importantly, what is it doing here?" said Gerard.

Sophie had just caught up and squeezed herself in between Alex and Emory. "What is it, guys? What are we looking—" she let out a horrified gasp and dropped her kitbag; all the flares, hardtacks, a medical kit, water pouch and bundles of linen bandages scattered at her feet.

"I know!" said Emory. "That's the coat of arms of Wildenberg House!"

Alex quickly looked up at Sophie, who was staring at the carriage with bulging eyes as though the monster of her nightmare had come to life.

"I gotta hide!" she whispered.

"Too late," said Alex.

The coachman had opened the door and bowed low as a woman glided down the carriage steps in hurry. A few people squealed in awe, many stared at her with mouth hanging open. The woman was endearingly good-looking, tall and lithe, with golden blonde hair pulled into a high bun. She scanned the wide-eyed crowd, her eyes fell upon the place where Alex stood, and then, with an expression of enormous relief, she cried.

"Sophie my dear!"

It looked like there was a giant wave crossed the front yard as all heads turned to Sophie, who had backtracked from the fence and clasped her hands to her mouth, looking thoroughly mortified. The woman rushed past the staring soldiers, her green silk dress billowing behind her. Now that they stood face-to-face, the resemblance between the woman and Sophie was obvious.

"What are you doing here?!" said Sophie angrily.

"Oh, my dear girl!" said the woman, pulling Sophie into a tight hug.

"Mother—stop—it—" said Sophie, trying to pull away. "I said stop! You're strangling me!"

"I thought I was too late!" The woman started to sob, holding Sophie in arm's length and examining her from head to toe as if looking for mortal injuries. "I couldn't imagine you would really go outside the walls. You have no idea what you're going to face out there!"

"Get back inside and go home!" Sophie led her mother back to the carriage by the arm. "Stop weeping for Sina's sake!"

"My dear, we really need to talk! There's still time for you to reconsider—"

"I'm done considering and we've done talking about everything!"

"Don't you know I'm always so worried about you? Oh Dear Sina, I couldn't stop crying since last night—"

"You've been crying at anytime ever since my enrollment, now _get in_!" Sophie opened the door and pushed her mother. "We'll talk inside!"

Sophie went in after her and closed the carriage door with a snap. A few seconds of pregnant silence passed as the soldiers comprehended what just happened, and then they put their heads together and a boom of chattering erupted all over the yard.

"What in the gracious name of fuck was that?" said Kenneth, looking dumbfounded.

"T-That's, Lady M-M-Marianne—" Gerard stammered, "the real deal, and Sophie, she is—she just—holy shit!"

"And she just called Lady Marianne her mother…" said Emory slowly, sounding as though he believed his hearing was impaired. "Her…_mother_? Seriously?"

"God damn it!" Kenneth shouted. "Isn't that mean she's an heiress?!"

"So, after all this time," said Gerard, wrapping his arm around Kenneth's shoulders, "you always insult the heiress from one of the most prestigious noble Houses in Mitras."

"Because she's always so fucking annoying!" said Kenneth, so thunderstruck he forgot to be hostile toward Gerard. "Who could have guessed she is nobility?!"

"You always call her a bitch," Gerard reminded, "and mock her parents for giving birth to such a bitch."

"Because she's always bitching about everything! She's annoying, bossy, insufferable bitch! No sane person can stand her attitude!"

"The fact doesn't change, you always treat her without respect," said Emory with a shudder. "You…have committed serious crimes of besmirching the name and honor of the distant relatives of The King."

Gerard snorted, unable to keep a straight face at the look of shame and horror on Kenneth's face. "Dude, you are so screwed!"

"I know! Damn it!" spat Kenneth.

"Sophie seems very angry," Alex commented, watching the mute shrieking match between Sophie and her mother from the window, the latter was busy dabbing her face with handkerchief.

"How can you not surprised?" asked Kenneth, looking down at Alex.

"I know about it, I met her at the royal ball two weeks ago."

"You didn't bother to tell us?!" Emory demanded.

"I promised her to not tell anyone," said Alex airily as the carriage door flung open.

"—do I have to tell you?! I'm not going home!" Sophie screamed as she jumped down, her face blotchy red. "I'm a soldier now! I can't ditch my duty just because you cry a river!"

Lady Marianne followed behind her with tears brimming from her eyes. "Sophie von Wildenberg, come back here," she said in a stern voice, wiping her face. "I don't remember raising you to behave like this. We're still talking."

Her steps faltered. Sophie turned around and strode back to her mother. "Why can't you understand me?" she asked weakly, looking down at her boots. "I know all the risks. I know what I'm doing. For your information, I'm good at being a soldier. Why can't you be supportive just for once?"

"And why can't you understand that I'm worried about you?" said Lady Marianne tenderly, stroking her daughter's face. "It's so dangerous out there, I just—I just want to help, I want to protect you…"

"If you want to protect me, go to the church and chant prayers of Goddess Sina a thousand times, ask for Her Blessing so I can get back from outside wall intact in one piece. That's all you can do."

"But still—"

"May I help you with something, Milady?"

Both of the women turned to the voice; Erwin had come hurrying forward out of the crowd.

"Oh, Erwin! Good to see you again!" said Lady Marianne, beaming and reaching out her hand. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm glad you seem fine and healthy."

"I'm glad to see you fine and healthy as well," Erwin said and bowed low, kissing her hand lightly. "I'm afraid my tight schedule doesn't let me having a leisure time to pay you a visit."

"Never mind that, I understand soldiers always—oh!" She looked at his bolo tie and smiled. "I'm sorry, I forgot you had been promoted, Commander Erwin."

Erwin replied her smile. "Milady, I prefer to be addressed without my military rank, if you don't mind."

"I do mind," said Lady Marianne. "It's so proud to see you achieve many great things in such young age. Squad Leader, Second-in-Command, and now the Commander."

"Oh, you are so proud, big deal!" said Sophie shrilly. "You are proud with his promotion but despised my enrollment in military, chastised me for joining Survey Corps, and now you're abasing me in front of my comrades before my first expedition."

"My dear, Sophie," Lady Marianne began. "I don't—"

"Save your breath, mother," Sophie cut in and folded her arms. "I don't have time to listen to your lecture. It's almost the time for expedition, right, Commander?"

Erwin maintained his benign smile. He looked at Lady Marianne, and said, "I understand your concern regarding Milady Sophie. But right now, she is a soldier, and I'm afraid," he continued, with a little bow, and his voice became very business-like, "the right to dismiss a soldier still resides with the Commander. It is my wish that Milady Sophie will participate in the expedition to fulfill the oaths she has taken. "

"B-b-but, Erwin, I'm just s-so w-worried," Lady Marianne stuttered, twisting her handkerchief frantically; clearly she had hoped that Erwin would back her up. "You know how dangerous out there, it will be a miracle if she come through it alive. Please, she's my only girl…"

"I'm terribly sorry," said Erwin courteously. "I ask for your understanding that I can't let you take my soldier away, no matter what sort of excuses you make. If you still insist on overstepping my authority, I will take it as an act to sabotage my expedition and I advise you to vacate the premise immediately, Milady."

Lady Marianne heaved a sigh of defeat, clutching her chest. "So, you are…really going?" she said to Sophie.

"Of course." Sophie drew herself to her full height and tossed her long braid. "Nothing you can do will change my mind."

"Both of you, come closer to me," said Lady Marianne, extending her hands. "Please take my hands. Let's make a circle prayer."

Erwin looked surprised. Before he could refuse, Sophie had grasped his hand and pulled him forward, throwing him a firm stare. She seemed as if ready to do whatever it took to make her mother go away—even wrestle with a titan if she had to.

Lady Marianne seized their hands, closed her eyes and mouthed a long prayer. A few minutes passed, she opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "I wish you all the luck to come home safely," she said calmly. "May the Three Divines watch over your battle and bless you with victory."

"Thanks, mother," said Sophie quietly.

"I appreciate your concern to me as well, Milady," said Erwin, bowing low. "Thank you very much."

Still looking crestfallen and shaken, Lady Marianne kissed Sophie on each cheek, curtsied then retreated into the carriage. The spectators grew thinner, resuming their works, as the carriage sped down the road, jiggling and swaying, and vanished at the crossroads.

"Thank you, Commander," said Sophie in an undertone. "Sorry for the commotion."

"I never thought you told Lady Marianne about today," said Erwin.

"I never told her, but Father might slip something on last night dinner…"

"What is done is done." Erwin clapped her on the back. "Expedition starts in twenty minutes. Calm yourself down."

Sophie nodded, crossing her arms, and trudged back to her squad, but she had left her stuff so she had to cross the yard past silently staring soldiers—they looked at her as if she was an alien—and returned to the fence. Emory and Gerard watched her apprehensively as she marched closer. Alex remained nonchalant, kneeling on the ground and putting the linen bandages back into the medical kit box. Kenneth gazed at her with frozen expression as if the shock of knowing her true identity had thrown out his soul to the next realm.

"What are you looking at?" said Sophie to Kenneth as she picked up her kitbag.

Kenneth recoiled and slowly shook his head, unable to compose a single word, but eventually said, in a strained voice, "No, nothing… M-Milady."

"Oh, don't call me that!" said Sophie irritably; a bright flush was creeping up her face. "What?" she said to Emory.

"You're an heiress of Wildenberg?" said Emory incredulously. "Why you never told us?"

Sophie cast him an annoyed look. To her left, Gerard burst out in laughter. She threw her kitbag down and rounded on him, her hands on her hips.

"What is so funny?!" she snarled.

Gerard cleared his throat. "Anything I can help you with, Milady?" he said in a feignedly dignified voice, bowing very low. "Perhaps Milady needs help to mount the horse?"

"Shut up! Never talk about this ever again!" Sophie yelled, bending down to collect the signal flares.

"A lady should not do that!" Gerard exclaimed with falsely shocked tone and bent down to help her. "Let this humble servant do it for Milady Sophie von—"

"I can do this by myself!" snapped Sophie. "Go away!"

"Stop it, she's really pissed," Emory warned, elbowing Gerard hard on the ribs.

"Oh, come on! This is amusing!" said Gerard, rubbing his side. "She always teases us all the time, a little revenge won't hurt!"

"If I ever insult her again, punch me," said Kenneth seriously. "An heiress… Who could have thought—"

"_Shut up and go away!_"

Another dangerous glare from Sophie and the three of them scurried away without another word—Gerard had stuffed his fist to his mouth to stop himself laughing. Alex stayed behind and continued to gather up the remaining items, thinking some words of comfort for Sophie, whose hands were shaking so badly she had trouble arranging the signal flare cartridges in proper order.

"They just make fun of you, don't make it a big deal," said Alex; never before she had seen Sophie so wrathful like this.

"This is exactly why I never wanted anyone to know," she said in a choked voice and seemed on the verge of tears. "Now they will treat me like I'm some kind of damsel in distress. Like I'm a helpless, pathetic princess who can't do anything on her own. Everyone always does that to me…"

"You can't hide your identity forever, they'll know eventually." Alex looked across the yard, fixing her eyes on Levi, who was petting his black stallion. "In the end, somebody will know your secret, no matter how hard you try to keep them."

"Anyone would never know if Mother had not made such a scene!" said Sophie peevishly, shoving the hardtacks into the kitbag until they crumbled. "I hate her! She's so pushy and annoying! Always bossing me around, telling me what to do, and what was she thinking?! Coming here and ordering me to go home! For the love of Sina, I'm not a child!"

"Don't you dare speak badly about your mother," said Alex crossly, glaring at her. "She loves you. You should be grateful for that."

Sophie gave her an annoyed look she had just given Emory. "I am aware she loves me so much she couldn't breath without me," she replied coldly. "But if your mother shows up and treats you like a three years old and makes you look utterly stupid in front of your peers, what will you do?"

Sophie hauled her heavy kitbag and stomped away, grumbling under her breath.

"What will I do, huh?" Alex mumbled. She got up and gazed at the front gate exactly where the luxurious carriage had been parked. A few minutes passed, she turned away, swallowing a strange thickness in the back of her throat.

_I'll never know what to do. I never have someone like that in the first place…_

She hastened toward her squad, picked up her provisions and trotted to the stables. There was an almost irresistible impulse to throw a rock at Sophie's face after she called her mother pushy and annoying. How patently absurd, Alex thought, because logically, she had no reasons to do that; Sophie didn't do anything bad to her and whatever happened between Sophie and her mother wasn't her business.

But the twinge inside her heart was unbearable; it became more agonizing to her the more she pondered about the origin of her resentment.

Alex wouldn't admit the reason, at least not out loud, because it was too embarrassing, too immature, too foolish, too complicated to be explained, but all the same it was very simple: she wanted to have something she knew would be impossible for her.

She wouldn't admit it, but her heart had wished, just for a second, or a tiniest space of time, she could walk in Sophie's shoes, just to know what it would be like to feel an embrace, a gentle caress on her face, a tender kiss on her cheek from someone who loved her unconditionally.

She wouldn't admit the sharp pang in her chest because Sophie had taken her mother's love for granted.

It was something she never had, something she had always wondered how it felt like, something she had longed for all her life, something she had given up hope to find, something she always believed was not for her, and right in front of her eyes, someone had taken it for granted.

It was unforgiveable.

_It must be nice to have a caring mother…_

That thought went through her like a flaming arrow and lit up the extinguished desire to roll the dice for one more time. What if she tried smarter this time? What if she fought harder? Her wishes were not just inside her head. At least, one of them really existed, and it was just right there, beyond the fence, close enough for her to see, but she just couldn't touch it. So close, but so far away…

Then, a part of her sensible mind poked her and reminded her why should she care about those trivial things. Hadn't she learned from her past experiences? She could hope and beg and pray and try all she wanted, she had done all of them.

Nothing changed. Nothing happened.

Why did she hope things would end up differently this time? As far as she could remember, her wishes had never come true. She knew there were no hopes at the end of the dark tunnel, only disappointments and regrets.

Everything was too much to ask.

She had no time to mull over mundane affairs.

She had no time for love, or hate, or game, or wishful thinking.

The only little time she had left was to make her mission successful, and she had done hesitating.

Ruffling her hair as though trying to shake the doubts off, she dashed to the deserted stables; the light brown stallion was the only one still tied up.

"Hey, partner," said Alex as she unknotted the rein. "How are you today? Feeling good?"

It neighed and licked her cheek repeatedly. This horse was definitely the sweetest animal she had ever met. Alex loaded her provisions into the panniers and led her horse to the stone path, where soldiers were lining up in accordance with their squads, ready for the departure. She looked around, realizing a lot of things still left unanswered. She wondered about the result of Squad Leader Hange's experiments, she thought it would be awesome if the eccentric scientist really succeeded to catch a titan. Commander Erwin was shouting something from the front line but she was too far away to hear his words, probably some kind of inspirational speeches about humanity to boost his troops' morale, and she wondered what sort of relationship he had with Sophie and her family. Speaking of Sophie, who still looked irritated and bad-tempered, Alex felt bad for being rude to her and wondered if she had a chance to apologize. And there was Captain Levi, whom she considered as a highly interesting person, scowling and chastising her for being late. As he went on with his tirade, she wondered why, beneath that seemingly permanent frown and harsh behavior, he could be so kind and show his concern for other people with his own peculiar ways. He was never a bad person, and she wondered if what she had seen in his eyes were true…

But none of them mattered anymore. They would be fine without her.

Alex put on the green cloak and mounted her horse. A whistle blew in the distance and the procession started to advance; a white stallion was leading the way.

"Today is a beautiful day, isn't it?" Alex murmured serenely to her horse, smiling and stroking its brown mane. "Thank you for accompanying me for the last ride."

* * *

The ride through the forest from the outer gate of Shiganshina District took the whole morning, as predicted, and by the time Survey Corps reached an open field to deploy the scouting formation it was already noon. Thankfully, the weather stayed with its commitment to be supportive, though the serene cloudless sky was tainted by a shower of black flares, issuing from the front right flank, close to where Levi's Squad was stationed. A moment later, green flares were soaring high; the formation was moving southeast. They had changed course twenty times, or maybe more, Levi had lost count after the fifteenth green flare. Counting didn't help to ease his foreboding, nor scrutinizing the racing trees would help him spotting titans faster, but he felt sick with apprehension that built up inside him every time rising flare was in sight so he needed to keep himself busy with simple tasks, almost like he had to in order to stay level-headed and alert. And with each shot of flares, he reminded himself that he carried the lives of his subordinate on his shoulders.

The sky was blue once more, and suddenly, a burst of black smokes streaked across the sky from the same flank.

"Damn it! It's still chasing us?!" Josef yelled as five black smokes spiraled up.

Alex shot the signal flare. "That's the flare from Squad Leader Mike's squad," she said, squinting to the nearest smoke. "Maybe the Deviant already broke our outer line of defense."

How troublesome, Levi thought, fighting Deviants in an open space, not that he doubted his comrades in the front rank were incompetent to take them down, but because God forbade an expedition would go well without Deviants tearing soldiers to pieces he was sure some squads would perish if this continued. A few soldiers were surely dying or already dead by now.

"At this rate, it will catch up with us soon!" Flora uttered the same thing he had in his mind. "Captain Levi, your order!"

Levi grasped the rein tightly, staring into the distant smokes and struggling to make the best course of action. No matter how many times they changed direction to avoid titans, the basic survival trick was to finish them all before they reached the center. He got two veterans and two recruits, one with equal capability of a veteran. They could eliminate the threats faster with more experienced soldiers but he would be damned if he let recruits wandering alone in this open field without his supervision. And as much as he wished recruits to be set aside from battle, he didn't want losing veterans at all cost; it would make a bigger impact to the corps, whose fighting strength had been declined after previous expedition. Sacrifices were always necessary, but at what cost?

Levi had learned the hard way that the benefit of all triumph personal interest and hesitation was not an option in this desperate measure.

"We'll intercept before they break further!" Levi commanded. "Flora, I'll leave the command to you! You and Josef stay with the formation! If I don't come back, you'll take the lead until the end. Don't stop! Don't break ranks! Brats,"—he glanced to Alex and Gerard—"come with me!"

Levi steered his horse toward the west where the faintest trace of black wisp still lingered in the air. If the Deviant was heading diagonally from the outermost flank straight to the center, he could run into it by any moments. Faster and faster he galloped, every second was a race between him and the rising pile of a mountain of corpses, Alex and Gerard were following closely behind him. There was small forest ahead, and a familiar blood-curdling cry of a titan welcomed them as they passed. Levi's stomach, already uncomfortable since the gate of Wall Maria crashing down, churned wildly; he pulled the rein and gestured to change course into the thickets of bushes and tress.

"What the hell!" Gerard shouted; his voice laced with dread. "So, those are—!"

"Titans, yes," Alex supplied when Gerard seem couldn't produce another word. "The worst of their kinds."

Levi swore. Black smoke meant a Deviant was spotted, though it was impossible to relay and explain the details about their situation right now with one shot of flare: Three Deviants were rampaging in a small clearing, trying to crush flashes of green flying around their heads. Mike, who clearly had thought the same thing to hunt them down before they managed to breach the second line of defense, was engaging in a fierce retaliation with a 13-meter class who just toppled a tree in its frustration to slap him like a mosquito. His subordinates were struggling to take down the remaining titans. Nanaba was fighting a 10-meter class titan, who was zigzagging between trees with an excessive swiftness despite its bulky proportion, which made it harder to get a clean cut on the nape. In the far back, three recruits were trying their best to bring down the smallest Deviant, so far not yielded results. Feeling his insides plummeting to a bottomless pit, Levi spurred his horse faster. On their first expedition, the first titan they encountered was a Deviant, smashing a gigantic fist through copse of trees, and broken branches rained down upon them, forcing them to back away. Ranks and grades didn't matter on battlefield, and to hell with whatever great achievements they had garnered in boot camp, because to Levi, they were three kids in military uniforms whose only achievement was not, yet, to be dead.

They would likely die first today, and that was why he always hated new recruits.

_So much for letting mere recruits stationed in the front line…_

Sound of whirring machine broke his concentration; Gerard had activated his 3DM Gear and launched himself between the foliages, soaring straight toward his comrades.

"OI, BRAT!" roared Levi. "I haven't ordered you to advance yet!"

"Sir, I can assist him," said Alex. "Give me the order to attack."

With a nod from Levi, Alex flew after Gerard. Levi focused his mind with the worst case scenario: The supplies carts would pass the vicinity very soon and he knew how this would likely end; if these monsters managed to break out of this copse and run for the formation, all the cart guard squads would be done for, the supplies would be trampled over then Erwin must announce the end of expedition, aborting the mission and going back to the walls empty-handed and defeated, like they always did.

So, yeah, Survey Corps was fucked.

Though very realistic about the possible pyrrhic outcome of this expedition, Levi was at the same time strongly idealistic and full of faith in his comrades. He believed Mike could take down any number of Deviants on his own and those brats would be fine as long as Alex was fighting with them. He yanked hard on his horse's rein and galloped toward the bulky one that almost reached the edged of the copse. Nanaba was still battling against it, diving from the highest branch, but her attack only cut the shoulder blade when the Deviant turned around and swung a massive palm right at her, and she flew sideways, successfully avoiding death by mere inches. Levi fired the hooks to the calf, sweeping close to the ground, and slashed the Achilles tendon of the both of its legs with one strike. He rose to the air, determined to finish it off but Nanaba was faster; she already cut the nape as the titan fell down.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Nanaba said as she hovered beside Levi. "I never thought reinforcement was coming."

"My squad is nearby," said Levi. "I believe these motherfuckers are merrily wrecking the front rank and I want to join the fun. What's the status?"

"There was a horde waiting at the outer right flank, it was an ambush. Forward right squads are damaged, but still functional, for now." Nanaba looked slightly frustrated. "They killed the typical titans but Deviants succeeded to slip in, ignoring the soldiers and marching right away to here."

With a booming thud, Mike claimed his victory over the Deviant and he joined them as they glided across the clearing as fast as they could to where the recruits were still struggling with might and main.

From a closer inspection, Levi realized they were not so bad in fighting. Not on the same brilliant level with Alex, but he had to admit they were doing quite well with dodging the attacks and coordinating a rapid counterattack, which, to his great surprise, worked out effectively. The Deviant fell flat on its face with a jarring thud and they withdrew to the closest branches, looking both astonished and terrified at the same time with what they had done.

"God damn it!" Gerard stared wide-eyed at the carcass. "God fucking damn it! I didn't sign up for this shit!"

"'_Kill them all immediately before they reach the center,' _she said," said Emory faintly, shaking his head and brushing a swath of black hair from his face, blood trickling from the scratches on his forehead. "_'It's a little bit tricky to kill them,' _she said. And she forgot mentioning how hellish it would be… Damn it, Alex…"

Sophie leaned against the trunk and clamped his mouth as if feeling sick, panting and soaking in sweat. Her knees were trembling they barely supported her weight. "Oh, dear Sina… Did we do it?" she whispered as though she was afraid the titan would come back to life if she spoke louder. "Is it…really…dead?"

"Definitely." Gerard pointed the smoke rising from the carcass and thumped Emory really hard on the back. "Holy fucking shit, dude, you killed it off!"

"Because of your assist," said Emory, discarding his broken blades. "We would be done for without you."

The relief didn't last long because new predicaments had arisen. All of sudden, as if materializing out of thin air, there were a large numbers of titans approaching from various directions. Levi looked around quickly, at least twelve titans all thundering after them and outflanking them.

"Oh, no! Kenneth!" Sophie shrieked.

On the other side of the clearing, the first group of titans had forced their way through the forest, now swaying their hands for Kenneth, who looked like a small fly floating over their heads. Instead of retreating, he lunged himself forward and attacked the largest titans; either he was very confident with his abilities or very careless, Levi couldn't decide.

"Sophie! You cover for him!" Mike shouted, brandishing his blades. "Emory! Go for the ones on the right! Don't let a single titan get out of this forest!"

Emory swiftly soared into the forest, and without waiting for order, Gerard had glided away with Sophie. Levi gritted his teeth, making a mental note to grind some common sense into his subordinate's head later—that brat sure needed a few lessons about respecting superior.

The horde of titans stampeded past Levi, some small, some even taller than the trees. He wielded his blades through the chunks of flesh as easily as air. Deafening footsteps and roars started to cease as more and more titans successfully subverted: Mike and Nanaba had annihilated the big group on the far left with ease; Emory painstakingly managed to kill two titans because Levi had went on his berserk mode and slaughtered the whole horde by himself, and the last enemy was a 14-meter class titan, whom Gerard, Kenneth and Sophie were battling ferociously. Gerard made an opening by distracting the titan and injuring one of its eyes. With a great agility, Kenneth stabbed the other eye which causing the titan to roar and stomped around in agony with much more violent hostility. It opened its mouth, ready to chomped Kenneth, who hurled himself away just in time before being crushed between rows of colossal teeth. Sophie had been tailing him closely to provide aid, quickly took a chance from its temporary blindness and eventually slit the nape.

"I DID IT!" Sophie's squeal blared in the air over the loud thud. "My first kill as a scout!"

"SOPHIE YOU BITCH!" Kenneth bellowed, pointing his blade at her. "You sneaky bitch! That titan was my prey!"

Sophie landed on the ground beside him, looking more elated. "Where do all the honorifics go?"

"I refuse to acknowledge your noble blood!" Kenneth glowered at her. "No way in hell someone like you is a relative of The King! And don't you dare sneaking behind me again!"

"Oh my, I'm glad we're back on insulting term. I've missed to hear you calling me with that nickname," said Sophie gleefully, giggling at him and looking at the steaming corpse with a smug face. "All right then, that was my first kill assisted by Kenneth. Is that fair enough?"

Kenneth was beside himself. "You fucking insufferable—"

"Shut the hell up!" snapped Gerard, landing between them and pushing Kenneth back. "She just saved your life! Quit bitching about it and be grateful you're not in titan's stomach!"

Sophie stuck her tongue out at him from Gerard's back. Kenneth threw her a nasty look and sheathed his blades.

"Enough with the chitchat," said Nanaba loudly, hovering over their heads. "Stay alert and return to your post. You won't be able to squabble if you're dead here."

Levi perched on the branch near Mike, wiping off the titan's blood from his hands and surveying their surrounding. No movements from the forest. No sounds but swaying and rustling leaves. Everything seemed under control, for now.

"Is it over?" Levi asked.

Mike looked around and sniffed the air, his expression alarmed. "There are still a few more on the west, approaching, quite slow, but we better get out of here soon." He beckoned to his squad to follow him.

Drawing his blades as a precaution for sudden attack, Levi descended to the ground and rounded on Gerard. "You got some guts to act without my order," he said coldly.

Gerard gulped, clearly under the impression that Levi was going to behead him. "I'm sorry, sir, but those titans almost beaten up my friends! I just couldn't sit and wait—"

"That was a good call," Levi interrupted, "but don't engage and don't rush to anyone's defense until I say so. You won't be so lucky next time. Your recklessness could endanger your life and your friends' lives. You understand?"

"Yes, Captain, I'm terribly sorry," said Gerard, though he didn't look like regretting his action. "What now, sir?"

"Call the horses and we'll return to—" Levi paused, glancing around. "Where's Alex?"

"Alex, sir? Isn't she with you?"

"No, she went after you."

"No, she wasn't fighting with us," said Gerard, his voice quivering. "The last time I saw her was before we entered this forest."

Levi's heart sank. He looked at Gerard's horrorstruck face, realizing the horrifying possibility might just have occurred: She had disappeared during the fight.

"Captain, what should we do now?" Gerard asked, the dread in his voice was more pronounced.

"We split up and double-check the vicinity, now."

"A-And if we don't find her?"

Levi felt like molten steel was pouring down his throat as he said, "We'll leave. We don't have all day searching for her."

Gerard looked as though Levi just announced a death sentence for Alex. He hurriedly took off and vanished into the woods.

Levi soared into the air with fear and trepidation began to creep inside him. He was listening for the slightest sound of movement but his surrounding was dead calm like nothing had ever happened here. Where the hell did she go? Could she wander off somewhere because something caught her interest? He swore he would grind her to dust if she really did wander off for catching strange-colored butterflies or picking up wild flowers or observing a Deviant, which was such a fascination to her. He would beat her up for scaring him out of his wits. She could be anywhere, alive…or dead for all he knew, the latter was more likely. No. It couldn't be happening. But the disturbing image of her succumbing to lethal injuries kept dancing before his eyes; he tried to block it out as much as he could, but failed, and the unbidden voice inside his head kept saying she might be already dead, lying in the pool of her own blood somewhere on the ground, or hanging limply by the cord of her gear among the leaves, or maybe titans had torn her body apart there was nothing left of her behind. No. It couldn't be. She was too strong to die here, too formidable, too tough. If she could survive a few weeks outside the walls all by herself, dying on expedition would be a joke, would be impossible.

She must be alive. She couldn't die here. He believed in her and he wouldn't let her die here by all means.

Pushing the thoughts of her dying to the back of his mind, Levi looked wildly around for any trace of her existence. At last, he heard something swooshing at the far right. He abruptly changed his course, pursuing the feeble sound that he strongly believed was a noise from reeling wire. Breaking through dense foliages, he caught a glimpse of Alex whizzing into sight from the palisade of trees far ahead of him, looking oddly serene and unharmed.

A few heartbeats later, because his eyes had been momentarily glued on her he barely noticed anything but a soothing heat radiating from his chest, just as she alighted on a branch, a lopsided head with contorted smile lurked behind her with a stretched arm, ready to squeeze her.

A flush of adrenaline prickled his body. Levi was accelerating as fast as he could go, zooming toward her, his heart banging against his ribcage, nearly exploding, but he knew he was not going to make it. The distance between them was too great and the titan was swinging its colossal palm at her.

For a moment, everything seemed frozen: Alex just stood there and looked up to the sky, unaware of danger behind her. Something had taken away his breath as he realized her small figure would burst into red—

"ALEX! MOVE!" Levi yelled.

Then, the scene played again and there was a streak of darting green, a shriek of pain, and an earsplitting crack of toppling tree: Kenneth had hurtled toward her out of nowhere and kicked her off the branch with all his might, sending her flying across the air. Alex screamed and crashed into a tree then fell to the heavy shrubs a few meters below. The titan crushed the trunk where she had been only a second ago, now trying to seize Kenneth.

"You fucking creepy monster!" he shouted, flinging himself away from the massive fist.

Gerard joined the battle, severing the fingers reaching for Kenneth's leg.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my friends! You asshole!" Gerard hollered.

Emory climbed his way up to the back of the neck but his attack was not deep enough. As the titan's attention turned to him, Kenneth swerved back and sliced the nape accurately. It fell backward and lay motionless. They quickly dispersed and looked for Alex.

"Alex! Where are you?!" said Gerard, searching through the bushes. "Are you okay?! Are you still alive?!"

Soft whimpering issued from the shrubs then Alex crawled out, curling up on the ground and clutching her ribs. "I'm alive…" she panted.

Gerard hoisted her to her feet. "God damn it, that asshole almost squashed you into a pulp…"

Emory swooped down to examine her. "Your leg is bleeding." He ripped the tip of his cloak and bandaged the wound on her thigh. "Are you injured somewhere else?"

"No… I'm…fine…" Alex leaned on Gerard's chest, still clutching the sides of her stomach and grimacing at Kenneth. "That…really hurts, you know…"

"You'd be dead by now if I didn't kick you," said Kenneth, looking overly complacent as if the fact that he finally landed a blow on Alex was more satisfying than the fact that she was still alive. "I kicked you! Damn! I finally did it!"

"Congratulation, your dream has come true," said Emory with an irritated sarcasm, checking Alex for another injuries. "You two should stop trying killing each other, we already got titans for that."

"I saved her ass," Kenneth retorted.

"Really? You tried to kill her as hard as that asshole did," Gerard accused, pulling Alex closer to his chest.

"What else could I've done?!" said Kenneth defensively, leering at Alex. "It was her fault, standing up there doing nothing like an idiot!"

"You could grabbed her cloak, pulling her away or something," said Emory. "She could have broken her neck from the fall—"

"Oi! Stop squabbling like kids!" Levi barked as he dropped near them. "Go back to your squad this instant and stay alert! We're not here for a picnic!"

Emory and Kenneth, who was grinning smugly, departed from the scene.

"I met Mike's Squad on the way and asked for help—" Gerard began.

"Call the horses, now."

Gerard scurried away, whistling loudly. Levi turned to Alex, who leaned against a tree trunk and looked down to her feet, rubbing her stomach. He was drowning in the throes of emotion—fury and shock mingled with numbing terror—that he didn't know what to do with her. He wanted to lash out at her, to headbutt her, to shove some common sense through her thick skull, to make her understand that she almost died because of her foolish actions. But those could wait until the expedition was over, and above all, he was relieved to see her still alive and breathing—nothing else mattered than that. He now found himself totally lost for words.

"You fucking annoying brat," was the first sentence that slipped out of his lips. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said throatily, averting her eyes from him. "I'm fine… I'm still alive…"

"I can see that. Let's regroup with the main troops."

Gerard came back with three horses trotting behind him. Alex quickly mounted and pulled her hood up, her eyes staring at the horse's mane. A moment before her face obscure by the hood and her hair, Levi, though he was positive he was imagining it, caught a glimpse of tears sliding down her cheeks.

* * *

The sun was hanging low at the horizon when the procession arrived at the first designated point. Dieburg Fortress perched at the top of the wooded hillock, looking all shabby and dreary as ever, its high turrets stood tall against the deep vermillion sky. The new route was proven to be effective because the long day that almost felt like a decade ended without significant casualties: a few wounded soldiers with minor injuries, breaches in the front right flank, two Deviants nearly crush five logistics carts, several spare horses were lost after a horde of titans abruptly attacked the left flank, but no death casualties, yet—a miracle had occurred in the long and dark history of Survey Corps.

After unloading the supply carts and scouting the perimeter, soldiers gathered for dinner in the squalid main hall, chatting with relaxed demeanor while munching the rations. Recruits congregated noisily in the corner, exchanging their first experience and comparing the titans they had seen as though they were just school kids having a picnic, all tension from this morning vanished, for this moment, and probably the fact that they were still alive charged them with elation that overwhelmed the anxiety for tomorrow.

Hange Zoe, crunching her hardtack and still donning 3DM Gear, sped through hall and skidded to a halt in front of Levi.

"Can I take Alex with me?" she said eagerly, a maniacal grin split her face. "I'm gonna do observation in the northwest forest and I bet she'll be thrilled to assist—"

"She's injured," said Levi brusquely. "If you dare dragging her out without my permission, I'll rip your limbs."

Hange set off with her squad a quarter of an hour later, looking heavily disappointed.

Levi scanned the hall; Alex had not show up, no striking auburn hair was seen among his squad or the recruits. Could something serious happen to her? He remembered she was really pale and didn't speak much during the rest of the expedition. He took another hardtack and scurried out of the hall, finally found her in a small storeroom on the second floor. She was sitting alone in the corner table and pulling one leg up to her chest, resting her forehead on her knee, her hair veiling her face. A medical kit box was opened in front of her. She quickly wiped her face as he closed the door.

"Your dinner," he said, putting the hardtack on the table.

"Thank you, sir," she said politely, raising her head.

"Everything okay?"

"Only small cuts." She showed several nasty cuts on her hands. "But this needs some stitches."

Levi noticed the gash on her thigh had not stopped bleeding. She carefully removed the bloody bandages and pressed gauzes on it.

"What happened back there?" he asked, sitting beside her. "Where did you go during the fight?"

"I decided to check the surrounding area for more enemies, because, I was sure my comrades could handle that Deviant, and," —she paused as she pulled out tweezers, a pair of scissors and a roll of thread from the box— "I got a little bit carried away…"

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" he snapped, indignation swelled up inside him again. "Wandering off on expedition, do you not realize the consequence of your action?! Damn it! The only reason why I let your friends fought a fucking Deviant because I thought you were fighting with them! Your friends could have died! You could have died!"

"I realize I made a mistake," she said quietly, not quite meeting his eyes. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry, sir."

Saying sorry was not enough for redemption; moreover, she didn't look like she was sorry at all but Levi knew that there was really nothing else she could do and the details of her inattentiveness did not interest him. There was no use pressing on the subject further. Lashing out and venting his frustration on her wouldn't do anything useful either. He took a deep, calming breath, and instead of resuming his rant, he silently watched her mended her wound, grimacing and hissing in pain every time she pulled the thread through her flesh.

"But that last titan, it was weird for you to be ambushed like that. Why?"

"Why what, sir?"

"Why you didn't move? I know your speed. I know you could have dodged it."

"That titan came out of nowhere. I didn't make a right judgment. I thought that titan didn't chase me."

"You weren't aware that titan was after you?" said Levi skeptically. "That monster was a few meters behind you. There's no way in hell you didn't hear it was coming. Why you didn't move?"

"I was—" she paused again, concentrating on pricking her skin with needle. "I was out of luck, I guess. And I wasn't paying attention at that time and the next thing I knew, I hit a tree."

She went on with her clarification but Levi didn't buy every single thing she said. Something was off, he thought. He knew exactly what she capable to do. Just a month ago, even in a pitch-dark forest, she had pinpointed Deviants' location with an unerring sense of hearing and easily cut them to pieces, not to mention her ability to read the nature was so uncanny it almost felt supernatural. What had changed now?

Something was not right.

"Stop making excuses," Levi warned, and Alex stopped talking. "If you're still trying to lie to me, then stop, you already fail miserably."

Alex glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I'm not lying."

"Then give me one sensible excuse why you didn't move."

"I made a mistake," she said desperately. "I know you have a high expectation of me but I can't always do everything right. I'm not perfect. I screwed up this time and after all… I'm still alive…"

Her voice tailed off weakly and Levi could not hear the rest of what she said. She looked angry and crestfallen for some reason. He leaned back to his chair, realizing he had gone too far. He had become so used to her battle prowess that he almost forgotten that she was still a mere greenhorn, just like any other recruits. Maybe he did regard her too highly.

"Don't make a blunder like that again. That's an order," he said with much more indifferent tone. "I don't even want to imagine what kind of disgusting beast that had caught your attention but don't get yourself killed because of that. If you hadn't move, you would certainly die. I thought you were trying to kill yourself."

The last sentence was actually a joke. He was half hoping that she would giggle, or say he was being very ridiculous, or tell him a joke about death was pretty lame, or criticize his sense of humor again. But Alex didn't say a word and focused her eyes on her wound, which bleeding had significantly subsided. Levi stood up and walked to the door. He stopped before reaching the doorknob as the time he found her swishing pleasantly through the forest came back to his mind: He remembered she didn't even load her blades. He remembered she had come out of the same location as the titan. He remembered she had holstered her handgrips shortly after she landed on the branch. He turned around and stared at her. Now that he was much more coolheaded to recount the sequence of events very clearly, he remembered, the titan had emerged immediately after her as though it was following her, or, to his great puzzlement, she was leading it to follow her.

"Were you really trying to kill yourself?" he asked.

Alex didn't deny nor affirm, acting as if Levi was invisible. The only noise in that room was clicking tweezers.

"Answer me," Levi demanded.

"I don't want to answer that," she said in a low voice without looking at him. "Your question is weird."

Surely if the answer was no, she could say it right away. The more he followed his logic, the more he became stunned by his own deduction.

"You were trying to kill yourself," he concluded after taking her reluctance into a consideration as a 'yes'. "You didn't move because at that time you were ready to die."

Her hands froze in midair for a moment before digging into her skin again for the last stitch. "Why are you so sure about that?"

"Because suddenly everything makes sense. Normal people will shit their pants, running for their lives once a titan is in sight. But you never run away, not because you're brave. You're fearless because you don't have a reason to be afraid of them. And the only possible explanation is, you're not afraid of titans because you're not afraid of death, aren't you?"

Alex cut the thread with a pair of scissors and covered her wound with new bandage. "Just because the majority of people are afraid of death, doesn't mean I have to be like them," she said conversationally.

Levi strode back to the table, standing across her as another realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Do you join Survey Corps to die?" he said, wholeheartedly hoping she would say no.

For the first time since he set a foot inside the room, Alex looked up and met his eyes; an impressed smile curved her lips. "How very surprising, you've got a great observational skill despite your aloofness, and here I thought you were ignorant about what happened to people around you."

He took it as another 'yes' and his uneasiness got the better of him.

"Why do you want to die?"

"Why do you want to know? Does it matter to you if I want to die?"

"Of course it matters!" he burst out before he could think about it.

Alex frowned. "Why?"

Why indeed? Hell if he knew. He couldn't compose a reasonable answer, but the thoughts of death had been haunting him since the day when his dearest ones had been taken away from him. He hated it. He didn't want to repeat the tragedy of letting someone else die. He loathed the way soldiers always met their ends in a blink of an eye. No one should have to die that fast.

Now someone he was responsible for was striving after death for some unknown reason, while everybody else was pulling out all the stops just to see the walls once again, and he was unsure how to cope with that absurdity. Someone like her, who had the highest rate of survival, wanted to die… What a meaningless death. He couldn't accept that. Her eagerness to embrace death made something in his chest ached, but why? Why do the thoughts of her dying distress him like this? She was his subordinate, so it was appropriate to care about her, wasn't it?

"It doesn't matter to you," Alex said when Levi lost in his thoughts and had fallen silent. "I don't matter to anyone here. My death won't make any difference but another name of dying soldier in Survey Corps history."

"No, you matter to—" Levi gritted his teeth, feeling his chest strangely aching more painfully than before. "You matter to your friends. You were wrong when you said no one would ask for your corpse. You should see that blondie sobbing and mourning for you when she thought you were dead."

Alex looked at the first-aid box and tapped her chin. "Yes, I was wrong about that, but it was not really that surprising. Sophie's always so weepy and nosy, a bit arrogant sometimes but maybe that's what happens when you're the only child of an Earl."

"But still they care for you. They even risked their lives to save you."

"Oh, Emory and Gerard are always on good terms with me, no wonder they rushed to my aid, though I don't know why Kenneth also acted like that. Now that's rather surprising. He's always very unfriendly to me. I don't know whether he was really trying to save me or to knock me out, but I bet he's very disappointed that my neck is still intact." Alex shook her head and sighed. "What a bunch of troublesome people…"

"After all that they'd done to you, you don't even consider them as your friends?" said Levi in disbelief.

"Just because I work together with them doesn't mean we're friends," said Alex with a hint of annoyance. "And besides, I never ask them to care for me. I should have died by now if it wasn't because of their meddling."

"Why do you want to die?" asked Levi again, this time he failed to conceal the frustration in his voice. "What will you achieve with death?"

"Will you please stop badgering me, sir?" she said coolly, her voice devoid of its usual politeness. "You make me uncomfortable."

"Is that a cry for attention?"

"Please stop that."

"A false act of bravery? Are you really that desperate to make your life means something for humanity?"

She looked down at her lap and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling. Levi thought she was crying again. How startled he was when Alex threw back her head and roared with laughter, so hard she almost fell over. It was not the delighted giggle when she teased someone or when she spotted interesting animals and plants that he found borderline annoying. It was a laugh harder than anything he ever heard from her before; mad and mirthless laughter reverberated in the room, out of control, so creepy and disturbing that it sent a cold down his spine. She looked quite demented and seemed had transformed into a complete different person. He backed away from the table on impulse; for a fleeting moment, he was almost afraid of her.

"You really—can make—a joke!" she shrieked between her guffawing, thumping her fist on the table.

"What the hell?!" said Levi loudly but his voice was drowned by her cackles. "Are you possessed or what?!"

"Sorry—I can't—that's—" she wiped the tears from her eyes "—_very funny!_"

Levi couldn't fathom what was so funny for her. For a minute or so, she kept laughing until it became soundless and eventually died out, but he still could hear it echoing in the room as if her laughter had permanently lingered on the brick walls. Alex was silent for a few seconds as she stared at the wall, seemed to watch something only she could see. But whatever she was seeing, it brought a pained expression on her face. She pushed her hair out of her face then rummaged the medical kit and continued tending her wounds as if nothing had happened.

"If I want to die, I'll do it for myself," she said matter-of-factly, uncorking alcohol bottle and dabbing the scratches on her hands with cotton. "Neither for humanity nor anything. Just for myself. And what is humanity anyway? Why is everything always about it? Humanity this, humanity that. I've heard enough pep talks about humanity for a lifetime I hardly recognize it as a word anymore. Everyone seems very obsessed with it. Is it a plague? Clouding everyone's head with obsession to sacrifice everything they have in the name of humanity? Thank goodness I didn't catch it."

Though she was speaking with the usual courtesy, there was a cold bitterness in every word she uttered.

"You fucking liar," Levi scoffed, trying to keep his voice indifferent. "You want to die for yourself? I've never heard anything more ridiculous than that. Why are you even here? Why bother joining Survey Corps? Why do you want to die as a soldier if you never care about humanity?"

"I'm not lying," said Alex firmly. "To be honest with you, I was planning to die on my first expedition but I failed because of _you_."

Levi squinted his eyes at her. "What do you mean 'because of me'?"

"Well, that's obvious. You almost died so I had to save you."

"Is that the reason? The _real_ reason why you saved me?"

"Yes. I was there when you fell from that cliff." Alex leaned back and smirked. "I could help. I could save you. Even if I failed, it didn't matter what would happen to me. I could hit a rock at the bottom or drown and eventually died, for all I care. But…to be more precise…" She twiddled her hair and stared at his eyes again as if she was examining a very interesting object. "It was because I don't want you to die. I must save you at all cost, The Humanity's Strongest Soldier, or whatever sort of epic names people calling you these days."

"Your point?"

"Unlike me, your life has more value to humanity than mine."

The silence between them seemed to make the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Levi stared at her without blinking. It took a while for the meaning of her statement to finally sink in.

"Your life has more meaning than a hundred likes of me combined. People need you, some even think of you as a saint who can save humanity," she explained, seeming to notice his confusion. "I honestly think someone so valuable like you shouldn't die too fast. I want to die, but if my death will cause someone else's demise, then I think I can wait for another moment when I can die alone."

"Your life has less value than mine, is that it?!" said Levi hotly. "You think your life has no value so you decide to die?!"

"My life is cheap, worthless I must say. There's no point for keep holding on such a useless thing," she said with an air of nonchalance, still carefully wiping her wounds. "And besides, it doesn't matter what role you have in society, what kind of relationships you have with other people, your wealth, fame, influence, authority, and many other worldly things that keep your life exciting. Everything you have will be meaningless once you die." She tossed away the bloody gauzes and cottons. "When you die, you're nothing more than a lifeless lump of flesh in the background. Alone and forgotten."

And suddenly, Levi was having difficulty to get enough air for his lungs. The room felt airless because solid ice had replaced the air. Every intake of breath was freezing coldness, shredding his lungs. Why now of all time, he remembered the day when they were gone? The day when they died, lying lifelessly on the ground, alone, and forgotten… No, they were not forgotten. He would never ever forget them.

"You… You don't see any worth in anyone's lives?" he asked with strained voice; the pain in the back of his throat made it even harder for him to breathe. "You don't even value other people as human beings?"

"Well, not every living being has a value. Sure, there are important people with great value, someone like you for example, The King, or the ministers in parliament, but most people are just a waste of air and space. Whether they live or die don't matter. Anyone with less value or bring no difference to this world should not live to begin with."

What she was saying was hardly comprehensible anymore. All these revelations about her motives made Levi very taken aback. In his bewilderment, his logic managed to connect all the dots between what she had said and what she had done. Everything made sense. She had rescued him without regard for herself. Everything she had done was nothing but recklessness stemmed from her suicidal tendency. Everything he knew about her, everything he _thought_ he knew about her was a lie. A façade so convincing it had fooled him completely. He couldn't recognize the girl sitting across him. She was a different person he never met before. Behind the mask of what he had considered as a loyal and dedicated soldier, her true colors finally showed through, revealing a stranger with misanthropic view on humanity. Why she harbored such resentment against humanity, Levi had no idea, but it explained her stubborn questioning about Survey Corps, about the reason why all the soldiers—including himself—fighting for humanity. She was always with him almost every day, why he had failed to notice this sooner?

"Basically, your value determines your life," she went on, cleaning up the table and closing the medical kit box. "If someone or something depreciates your value then you are already worthless. Everything has a substitute. Everyone is replaceable. The Commander retired? Someone will ascend. The soldiers died? There are always new recruits to replace them. I begin to think that soldiers are disposable toys in this battle."

A shard of glass seemed to pierce his heart.

"No, they are not replaceable," said Levi hoarsely. His own voice felt like tearing his throat apart. "They have no substitute. They are human beings, God damn it!" He slammed both of his hands down the table. "Their lives have value!"

"They _were_ human beings," Alex corrected with an airy wave of hand. "And value is not for everyone, take example from mine. If I die, you'll get a new subordinate. I think I already said this to you: There are always new cadets every year, so many replacements for me."

"God damn it, stop! Stop it! _Stop talking!_"

"Nothing last forever and people die as a part of natural process," she continued, heedless of his plea. "All people will die in the end, right? We live because we owe death. It won't make much difference how or when people die —"

Levi didn't know what she said after that. His mind jumbled. Everything went blurred and dissolved into a whirl of darkness. The images that he dreaded were flashing before his eyes and he suddenly found himself standing in the familiar scene again: it was raining, dark sky roaring above his head, horrified scream blaring in the air, gigantic figures lurking from the thick fog, a red head in the mud, mangled body, blood, entrails, hollow eyes staring at him… It was like succumbing to a painful nightmare. A stab of anger and grief overwhelmed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping everything would go away. As soon as he opened his eyes, the room had re-formed around him. The table had been thrown aside. He was clenching his fists so tight he felt both of his hands were numb. Alex lay facedown near his feet, coughing and spitting blood to the floor.

"C-Captain—" she gasped and tilted her head, blood streaming from her nose and cracked lips. "W-what—are—you—?"

Levi looked down at her. His rage at her broke over him like burning lava, searing every other feeling he previously had for her. His worries and concerns about her safety were burned to ashes. What he had left inside him were revulsion and unrelenting compulsion to punch every inch of her he could reach. Hell, he even felt disgusted with himself for ever feeling sorry for her. Levi yanked her collar and pulled her up until their eyes met. Before she could catch her breath, he pinned her against the wall by the throat and screamed at the top of his voice.

"IF YOU WON'T STOP BULLSHITTING I SWEAR I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

"But—s-sir—what did I—d-do wrong—?" she spluttered, her lips trembling. For the first time her voice shaking with fear.

"I already told you, didn't I?" said Levi menacingly, pushing his arm further against her throat. "I'll beat the living shit of anyone who dares besmirching the fallen soldiers!"

Alex choked, writhing in her attempt to free herself. "I don't speak bad of the dead!" she panted. "I'm just stating the truth!"

"How could you say their lives mean nothing?!" Levi shouted. "That their lives have no value?! How dare you! Why can't you understand their sacrifices for others?! Why can't you even think the value of your own life?! Damn it, do you even realize how many soldiers want to be like you?! How could you throw away your life that easily?!"

"B-But, w-w-what else do you e-expect me to s-say?" she said weakly, her eyes widened in confusion. "Everybody dies. Death is inevitable. Death that serves no purpose or benefit whatsoever has no value. People no longer useful if they lose their values. New recruits are here to fill the empty slots. Soldiers shouldn't aspire to be like me, my life is worthless so I want to die. Please tell me, which one did I say wrong?"

Utterly flummoxed, Levi reached the point when rage had overtaken his head and inhibited his ability to speak coherently for a moment. Alex seized the opportunity to slightly loose the stranglehold at her neck, steadying her breath. She looked deeply into his eyes and the fear vanished from her face.

"Are you assaulting me because I said the truth?" she asked calmly.

"No! I'll kill you right here and right now because you don't regard other people as human beings!" Levi tightened his hold and she choked again. "You sick son of a bitch! Why can't you act like a human for one goddamn second?! Those soldiers sacrificed their lives and you think of them like a trash?!"

"You can't deny that I said the truth, can you? Why are you so angry about it? The truth is too harsh on you, perhaps?" she said, almost derisively. "Reality is never kind. Life is never fair. Maybe averting your eyes from what really happened makes it less painful, but it doesn't change the truth. The fact that it is true will never change."

"YOU'RE WRONG! YOU'RE FUCKING WRONG!" he roared so loudly that he felt his throat might bleed. "Their lives matter! Their sacrifices matter! Even if they died before reaching their goals, that's not an excuse for you to belittle their existences!"

"And now you're just making justifications of their fruitless efforts," she said even more calmly.

Levi lowered his gaze, avoiding the soulless stare of her hazels. He couldn't bear to meet her eyes. Words were not enough to explain how he felt right now. Too many feelings. Too many thoughts. He didn't want to feel. He didn't want to think about it. He couldn't stand it. What she had pointed out were facts, truths, but acknowledging them caused him unbearable pain… He had seen soldiers dying, over and over again. He had seen _them _dying for trying to get a better life, for believing they could leave the darkness and start anew on the surface. It was all in vain. He sure as hell was aware of that fact. But still…saying that their lives had no value, that they were disposable, a waste of air and space, it hurt him to his very soul.

"Do you think people who died for believing in their hopes and dreams are worthless?" he said, a prick of sorrow mingled with the blazing white-hot wrath inside him. "People are not just flesh and blood, not just lifeless lump of flesh and spilled blood in the background. They are human beings. They have names. They have family. They have a life. They have another people who love them, who care for them. All the lives have a meaning, even after their deaths."

"Lucky for them to have such a good life, family, home, and everything, but in the end of the day, those are not even matter if they die," she said flatly; her glassy eyes registered no emotion whatsoever. "Some people claim they die for a greater good, some for protecting the ones they love or for the sake of others, but mostly people die for nothing. Even Commander Erwin said so in the last meeting. Our previous expedition failed which means the soldiers died for nothing. What made you think the other way around?"

"Just because they failed and died, doesn't mean their lives were entirely worthless!" Levi yelled, glaring at her.

"Are you distorting the truth so you could feel a sense of consolation in your grief?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, whatever you need to help you fall asleep tonight. Ignorance is the sweetest bliss, right?"

"They fight for what they believe in! They fight their dreams! For a hope! For a better life! They even offer their hearts for the sake of humanity! Don't you dare taking their courage and sacrifices for granted!"

"And we're back to humanity pep talks again. Fascinating." Alex rolled her eyes. "I have more important things to do than hearing your speech about how precious humanity is, but speaking about courage…those soldiers are not mentally ill, are they? They perfectly know deaths await them once they step outside the walls. If they're so afraid of deaths they should have stayed at their houses. Safe and sound." She wiped the blood with the back of her hand, her lips curled into a thin smile. "That's a common knowledge that even a knee would know."

"What are you?" he whispered, almost nose to nose with her. "You don't value your life, you don't value other's lives as human beings. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, it's just this world that's too twisted," Alex said with a shrug. "You hate pointless death, right? I simply hate pointless life. Where is the value in that?"

Levi felt a whirlwind of intense emotions inside him had filled his heart with a brutal urge to hurt Alex in the most excruciating way possible. "You really can't wait to die?" he said tonelessly. "Let me help you then."

Without thinking, without considering the consequences of his proceeding, without caring that she was his subordinate he supposed to look after, Levi wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed it.

"Captain—!" Alex gasped, gripping his wrists.

"You can't breath, can you?" Levi hissed in front of her face. "Just wait for it. It won't be too long from now."

She was attempting vainly to free herself, kicking his leg, punching any part of him she could reach, scratching his hands and fingers, but the lack of air had left her powerless. Levi grinned; the more she struggled, the more it satisfied him.

"If you really want to die, why are you still resisting me?!" Levi screamed. "You want to live, don't you?! Because it's human nature to STAY ALIVE!"

Almost there. Her face turned from deep red to purple, her eyes bulging… Her grips began to weaken. Her feet stood limply. It was almost there…

Just kill this contemptible bastard who didn't value human lives.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and someone walked in. "I thought I heard noises from here—"

Levi turned his head and saw Erwin freezing in the doorway looking at him with horrified expression that rarely crossed his calm face.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled. "Let her go!"

Erwin's voice sounded as if it came from somewhere so far away but it brought Levi back to his senses. Suppressing his bloodlust, Levi released her and retreated to the opposite corner of the room, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. He wanted to be as far from her as he could get. Alex slid down the wall into kneeling position, panting and whimpering.

"Are you okay?" said Erwin, crouching down beside her and trying to help her to stand up.

"_Don't touch me_!" she croaked, slapping his hand and crawling away.

Erwin quickly stood up. "What happened?" he said, aghast, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Neither answered him. Alex reached the edge of the table for support, massaging her throat and gasping for air. Levi turned his back on Erwin and slammed his fist to the nearest crate; its lid was snapped into two.

"For God's sake, what just happened here?!" said Erwin, now sounding very mad.

Levi whipped around, pointing a shaking finger at Alex. "YOU!" he shouted, advancing upon her with clenched fists. "I despise you! You fucking disgusting, despicable, good for nothing blight on the face of humankind! JUST FUCKING DIE TOMORROW!"

Alex staggered away from him until she hit the wall behind her. Levi would jump at her and finish her once and for all only if Erwin was not standing between them and holding him back. After darting her the most disdainful look he could muster, Levi finally backed away.

"Is that an order?" Alex said with such admirable calmness after experiencing attempted murder. "Very well, I'll gladly carry it out, sir."

She saluted then dashed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Erwin stared at Levi with perplexed looks on his face.

"Explain yourself, now," Erwin commanded

Erwin was evidently downright furious, but Levi didn't care what punishments he would get for assaulting his subordinate; she fucking deserved it and he deserved a gold medal for trying to get rid of the enemy of humanity. Levi averted his eyes from Erwin and rubbed his forehead, breathing heavily as though he just ran for miles. He looked at the back of his hand, the scratches from where her nails had dug deeply into his skin started to bleed profusely, and he thought how satisfying it would be if he could crush her windpipe with his hands.

* * *

**Author's Note 12/28/15: The super late Christmas present for my readers! I finished in one go and didn't have time to edit this. Sorry...**

**I don't create OCs for the sake of canon characters hooking up with my OCs or for some kind of wish fulfillments. That will be boring and predictable. I'm experimenting in creating real people, with flaws and virtues, with the good, the bad, and the ugly sides, and I gotta say Alex is the most complex character I've created so far. Hmm. I'm not sure if I can pull the romance arc off in satisfying way, but I promise the romance will have an impact to the plot. Honestly, romance is not my cup of tea, but I do love reading romance story with heavy plot, angst, tragedies, heart-wrenching moments, dark emotions, and ocean of tears; those are what you probably will find in this fanfiction. Mind you my favorite novel of all time is Wuthering Heights. You've been warned, people.**

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it :)**


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